I'm Fine Watching From Here
by Parkingitin
Summary: Eight Years Ago, a bond stronger than family was given birth to Seven Children. Three Years Ago, Seven Children went their separate Ways. Now, Seven Children reunite to attend El High, a high ranking school. Four Children are in love. Four Children hold strong bonds. Three Children are hurt. Two Children arise from the Earth. The Nine Children now face their enemy. Life.
1. Ch 1: Three Years

**Hello friends. This is to be my first fan-fiction ever written. I hope you all enjoy and continue to read this for however long I decide to pursue this.**

**Please share your opinions with Ratings&amp;Reviews, and if you are too lazy or did not want to, then that's fine ^.^.**

**As you can see, this will be an Elsword Fan-fiction. However…**

**This story will only be taking the main character's personalities and their classes and everything that comes from their classes. Everything else from the Elsword world will be basically excluded. Meaning new setting, new world, and for this selection, no Evil People!**

**Possible references to different works of art. Let's see if you can spot them!**

**Finally, POV will be mainly on Elsword and Rena as this is an ElswordxRena ship, because that ship is best ship to me. No judging please. Of course, other pairings are to come, but ElswordxRena is focused.**

**Sorry for any lengthy sections you may not like.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this fan-fiction as all rights goes over to KoG Studios/Kill3rCombo**

* * *

Hey… Have you ever felt that no matter how long you stay with him, you're only just a friend?

Have you ever felt that although you'll always stay who you are, you wished to be someone else?

Have you ever felt that helping him will only make your burden worse?

* * *

Hey… Have you ever felt the pain of rejection and detachment?

Have you ever felt that although everything is the same, it will never be the same?

Have you ever felt as if someone is closely watching you and supporting you silently from behind?

* * *

Have you ever felt as if you should have just _**gone through?**_  
Have you ever felt as if you should have just _**turned around?**_

* * *

_"Hey! Let's go guys!"_

_"Wait up Elsword! Gosh, you're always so energetic."_

_"Hah! Maybe you're just too weak!"_

_"What?!"_

_"Ahahahah! Don't worry Elsword, I'm gonna beat you there!"_

_"Always quite the competitive pair."_

_"Elsword, make sure you don't trip like always!"_

_"Don't make your older sister worry about you!"_

_"W-Wait up everybody!"_

_Yes... I remember the days when the seven of us played for those five years. We never cared about anything or anyone else. We kept ourselves secluded in a small family of our own. We neglected any other contact, because we only need each other in that time. However, I honestly only looked at that one person back then._

_Ahh... I remember being such an idiot back then. I always took everything for granted. How nice and caring my friends and my sister was back then. They never criticized me for my poor swordsmanship. They never got angry for whenever I blew up things on accident or I couldn't even make a simple fireball. Even if I did petty pranks and stunts, they always supported me... all the while scolding me._

**_The first five years were fun... but the last three years._**

_"Moving?"_

_"Yeah... I'm moving away for a while."_

_"But, why?"_

_"I've grown tired of being weak. Everyone here just won't acknowledge me or take the littlest bit of seriousness in me. Therefore, I'm going to become stronger somewhere I can free myself from the stress."_

_"Elsword..."_

_"Me too. The study of magic here is too restricted. There isn't much material to do work on. I'm going to travel around in order to find out more about myself and magic. Staying here will just limit my goal."_

_"My father thinks so too. He says that I'll become too soft for the future if I were to stay here."_

_"I'm going away as well. I want to learn more about robotics and machinery. I want to create something beyond anyone's imagination with robots. Therefore, I must travel and meet other mechanics."_

_"I see..."_

_"Rena... I'm sorry. I didn't think it would hurt you this much."_

_"No, it's fine. For a long time you have been hurt a lot worse than I have. You always shouldered burdens that I don't think most of us could handle. So, next time we meet, you'll be stronger, right?"_

_"Hmph, Elsword being stronger? Please. He may get better, but I highly doubt he'll change that much."_

_"What was that?"_

_"Come on Aisha, we're all leaving. You could at least be a bit more sympathetic."_

_"I know... *hic*"_

_"Aisha..."_

_"We've always been helping you anyways. It isn't fair that we had to take care of you all this time."_

_"Hey! There were a lot of times where you just sat there crying!"_

_"But you didn't take action did you?"_

_"Ugh..."_

_"That's why... when you come back. You'll be more reliable."_

_"Aisha?"_

_"That's why... You'll be able to protect us right?"_

_"...Yeah. I promise. I'll become a swordsman worthy of protecting you guys. I'll show them all! Hard work and dedication can make a difference!"_

_"A bit corny don't you think?"_

_"Ahahahah!"_

_"Ack! Eve!"_

_Someone worthy of protecting us..._

_Someone worthy of protecting them all..._

_I'll wait for that someone... Elsword._

_I'll become that someone... for her._

* * *

_Rnnnggg Rnnnggg_

"Class, all rise!"

August 25th, 2014. The first day of school.

"Bow!"

A new school with lots of new faces and rules. What's old must be reforged, right? Everything changes here!

"Be seated now!"

Or… Maybe not.

"Well then class, I am sure you are all aware, but I will explain it in case this has not sunk in for any of you… Welcome… to one of the most prestigious high schools known across the entire world, El High. We are renowned for our large array of techniques, but a colossally high skill cap in each one. In any case, we train our students to be the cream of the crop. Our adaptable strict curriculum ensures that regardless of if you are a below average student, or an elite of regal character, you will graduate to become more noble, more adept, and more just than any man or lady could ever desire to be."

That being said… I hope you understand your punishment, Mr. Sieghart."

Yeah… No.

Already, I've been called out to the front of the class in a squatting position carrying buckets of chalk, and to top it off, with a candle lit right under me.

Reason being? Let's say I just tried pulling off an overused prank of messing with a certain statue of a particular person that most wouldn't even dare batting an eye at.

"Yeah yeah…"

"Excuse me?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

Met with a rapier no longer than a second after my lazy reply, I immediately "correct" myself. This lady is insane! How can this be a homeroom teacher, much less a staff at any school?

Ms. Riza Asquith, my homeroom teacher for basically the entirety of the time I am at this school. A refined beauty that everyone seemingly reveres as the cold beauty. Already, I can count out the masochists in this room… increasing every second.

Sigh… "Already getting in trouble little brother?"

Turning my gaze towards the slightly irritated, yet relieving voice, I recognize my Elesis, my older sister standing there with a face that had already given up.

Immediately, whispers filled the room.

"Hey… That's her right?"

"It can't be. No way!"

"But that armor, that red hair, it is!"

"The legendary Red-haired knight said to be a prodigy?"

"Wait a second. Did she say little brother?"

Oh brother… Wait…

"Ahahah… Well, no helping it huh. Right?"

"Ahahah…"

She copies me and then proceeds to mildly chop my head and scold me.

"Elsword, you're 15. I shouldn't have to scold you over these nitwitted jokes.

Elesis Sieghart, 17 years old, known as the Red-haired knight, is my beloved sister. From the day I was born to now, and most likely continuing, she has always nurtured me with everything she could offer. No matter what my interests were, she would always be one step ahead to teach me. She always responded to my dangerous stunts with a scolding and a guilt hug. She always put my priorities before anyone else's, including herself. A kind burden placed upon both of us.

I look around the room and see everyone snickering a little. On closer observation, I notice a few familiar faces… Faces I haven't seen in three years...

Rena Parker, 17 years old, my blonde childhood friend. A bit of a tease who always finds joy in embarrassing me. But she also partook in taking care of me. Whenever I had trouble on homework or was hungry, Rena always seemed to somehow pop up with the answer everywhere… EVERYWHERE. I'm not going to recall, but… She was basically a mom, if not a sister since I already have one. She always felt so warm and consulted me on everything I had to let out, stress wise. Wow... Looking at her, she really developed in a lot of places... A Lot Of Places.

Raven Park, 19 years old, a tall black haired rough looking guy, but really chill. He has this sort of atmosphere that makes him a bit unapproachable, yet somehow attractive to the girls? I don't know. But he is a really relaxing guy who knows how to take action. For a long time, he used to be my daily sparring partner who never seems to dull in his unique fist-sword style. However, he's a bit uncommitted when it comes to school, which would explain his old age at a high school… as a first year.

Chung Seiker, 16 years old, an orange haired softy. The nice guy that everyone admires as being gentle and handsome. The inside however reveals him to be an actual big softy and too gentle. Basically, an emotional crybaby. He looks for peace and friendship and strongly disapproves of anything that has to do with pure intended violence. In my eyes, a bit cliché, but great person to befriend.

Eve Rysenir, 15 years old, a foreign, white haired, swingy person. Most of the time, she is reserved and polite, but she can really, and I mean REALLY get scary in an instant. Her tolerance is strong, but little bits can really grind her gears and cause her to overload, so a lot of the times, people are very cautious around her. A bit ironic. But Eve is very passionate about a lot of things. Her biggest passions is reading. She really gets lost in her own world when reading any type of literature. Although, in a sense, that's a bit admirable.

And finally… Her.

Aisha Ryder, 17 years old, to be blunt, my crush. When we first met, we were completely incompatible. You could say we hated each other. Although I'm not sure about her towards me as of now, the years have really changed my perspective towards her and I've come to enjoy her company. Whenever she is next to me smiling, I can't help but notice how warm it is. She's hard-headed and hates to lose. A stubborn purple haired tomboy. Yet cute and sweet.

As I looked at them, Rena gave a mischievous smirk, Raven gave a big grin, Eve silently waved at me, Chung gave an innocent smile that could probably cure any disease, and Aisha shook her head at me.

"Well, I see you are here Ms. Sieghart. Have you completed your mission?"

"Yes Ma'am. I have successfully completed the task."

"Good. Class, I would like to introduce you to this schools magnum opus, Elesis Sieghart. I am sure you have all heard of our "Red-haired Knight. As of today, she shall be part of our class as an assistant teacher. In other words, she will be your second superior of whom you shall ask for aid and teaching from."

I literally drop my jaw in complete confusion.

"Wait! You're telling me I'm going to be in the same class as my big sister?!"

"Ho… Is that a bad thing?"

She asks with questioned curiosity in her eyes.

"Oh, uh… Well… No."

I look down and shy away.

_Rnnnggg Rnnnggg_

The bell rings, announcing for our dismissal for the next phase of our new school life.

"Hmph… Alright class. All of you are free to tour around the area of the campus to do as you like. I suggest you all make haste and memorize the school grounds so that you may not have any further hinderances. Class dismissed."

Sternly said, she leaves the room. As soon as she completely exits, everyone jolts up and gathers in groups. Elesis starts walking towards the group with Rena and the other four.

"Uh, Elesis?"

"Yes little brother?"

"Can you possibly help me out of this?"

"Hm. I'm sorry, I'm afraid Elesis cannot help you."

"Ugg… Please help big sister!" I say blushing. Elesis turns around and smiles happily at me.

"Of course!"

She removes the buckets of chalk and takes out the candle. I plop down on the ground to catch my breath. As soon as I settled down a little, I made my way towards everyone with Elesis.

* * *

**Phew. A lot of reading for a short scene. I hope you guys didn't find any of this boring or anything. Although, reading possibly unnecessary text might have made it boring.**

**Oh well. I'll probably update the next chapter within the next two days. I hope you guys look forward to it!**


	2. Ch 2: El High Explore! Pt 1 Fight!

**You can see that this story will involve a lot of reading of additional background information or character thoughts.**

**Don't worry, most of the information and lengthy paragraphs will end soon. Soon, it'll all be just what happens is what happens, no need for long descriptions. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Looks like we're together once more Elsword."

Rena happily greets me as soon as I was within vicinity of them. Raven walks over to put his arm around me.

"Yeah! Looks like I won't be bored for a while! It's been a while since we last sparred huh?"

"Hmph, I hope you didn't go soft over the past three years."

"You want to go for a run now?"

Raven and Rena haven't actually changed at all… Well, except for Rena. She actually developed in quite a lot of places. But even so, Raven is still my old sparring partner who can follow me in my little pranks, and Rena still has the same warmth around her that she had from before. Almost like Elesis.

Me and Raven glare at each other as Aisha and Eve look at us with dumbfounded expressions.

"Is this really how you guys act after not seeing each other for an entire year? Please tell me you are at least going to be a bit more civilized?" Aisha says with a sigh.

"Elsword is a bit of a hooligan. Unfortunately, it seems to be his only remarkable trait." Eve says in a condescending tone.

"Eve, that kind of hurts. I am still a proud knight, so I hope you wouldn't insult me like that."

"Mmm… A knight like your sister?"

"Uh… I-"

"Then that is not a knight someone can be proud of." She cuts me off with a smirk.

Okay. Maybe these guys changed a little bit. Eve somehow got a bit scarier.

As I think that, Eve turns to Aisha.

"Was that sufficient enough Aisha?"

"Yeah, I think he got the message loud and clear!"

Quickly realizing what occurred, I shot death stares at Aisha. She responded in the same fashion.

Well… It looks like Eve started to listen to Aisha a little more… I guess my suffering will be delivered in two folds compared to last time. Maybe in three folds.

"Well, let's not tease Elsword too much. It really has been a while since we've been together. We should relax and spend some quality time together." Chung went between us to try to get us to reconcile.

Chung is still the same innocent guy. He feels a lot more dependable though. But, he's still a huge teddy bear for everyone to hug.

Aisha pulls back and looks down.

"I suppose that is true. It really is nice to see you again Elsword." She blushes and says that in a soft voice.

"Eh?"

I was surprised that she actually said that to me. I got flustered.

"Ahh. Umm. Yeah. You too. It's really amazing we get to be together like this again."

I look away and hear "ho" from all around me. I realized my mistake.

* * *

_Rena's POV:_

Elsword…

When he said that to Aisha, I felt a little weak. Something... didn't feel right.

"I-I mean, it's great that _all_ of us are here together again! Honestly, I've been feeling a bit lonely for these three years." He tried to cover up his little moment there.

"Ahh… I see. So I guess my company was not pleasant Elsword?"

Elesis, behind Elsword the entire time, appears crestfallen.

"Alright then. I guess I'm a bother. I'll be leaving then. Have fun little brother." Tears formed around her eyes.

"Ah! Wait. Elesis, I didn't mean it like that. Don't cry!"

"Ah… Elsword made a girl cry." Aisha looks at him disappointed.

"And the Red-haired knight, that's not gonna look good on your reputation." Raven added on.

"Wait! I-I. What did I even say? Come on, this isn't even fair!"

"Elsword, I don't recall any unfair situation given to you up to this point. Please just accept your fate as it is." Eve told him with a straight face.

"AHHHHHHH!"

Everyone laughs. I follow suite. However… His bashful expression. His stuttering and nonsensical refutes. It really is Elsword… But something felt more distant. It didn't feel like it did three years ago.

"What's wrong Rena?"

I see Raven move to my side with a worried look. I close my eyes to calm down and then I gave him a smile.

"What do you mean Raven? I'm perfectly fine."

"Rena…"

Ah… the procrastinating one is always sharp on these things isn't he? The one who was left with me ever since that day.

"Raven, I really am fine. Don't worry about it. Right now, I just want to be happy that we're all together now."

"Hmm… Well, I hope you have fun with _us _then. Just remember not to over-stress yourself."

He smiles weakly. He walks away to put Elsword in a headlock. Everyone in the class looked at them and laughed. To the six of us who's been friends for many years, this must be very nostalgic. But, in the end, something still felt wrong only for me. No… Nothing's wrong. Everything is actually better. Three years of isolation from these guys, and now we're reunited. If anything, it's a miracle that he's here. That everyone is here. Everyone…

I shook my head and took a really deep breath. I cheerfully walk up and got everyone's attention.

"Alright then! Let's go explore the school then, shall we?" I said brightly.

"Whoa! This place really is amazing!" Elsword exclaimed.

Only five minutes within walking around, and Elsword was already enamored of the school.

"Oh calm down, it's not really that great. It's just the norm for housing the greatest fighters in the world." Aisha retorted at Elsword

"Yeah but still! Everything is so big and clean. It actually feels too good to believe that I'll be living in such a place."

"Well, you'll get used to it very quickly. Don't forget that this place also houses a lot of responsibilities along with it. I do hope you don't slack off now little brother."

"Ugh…" Elsword shrunk a little.

But, it makes sense. Unlike everyone who is attending this school, Elsword is probably the only one who hasn't lived in an environment like this. Although he is a blood relative of the great "Red-haired knight", his existence is still frowned upon. He never really had any real talent for fighting. Although he loves swordsmanship and shows interests in pyromancy, he also displays slow progress and everyone thought it was such a shame that such a great knight had to take care of such a "useless" outcast. However, it seems that his training over the past three years significantly altered his personality... His aura changed a lot. It's a lot more dependable, stronger, and…

GOSH, WHY ARE YOU SO CUTE ELSWORD?

I squeal on the inside as I watch Elsword jumping around in excitement He eventually runs off in a random direction with Aisha and Eve chasing him.

"Rena, you're drooling." Raven looked at me with suggesting eyes.

"Ah…" I quickly wipe off the drool with my handkerchief.

"Don't you wish you could have your precious all to yourself?" I blush at his remark.

"Wh-Wh-What? Don't' be silly. I'm not that concerned about Elsword to think of him like that!"

"Elsword? I was talking about the bread they were selling over there. Aren't they your favorite?"

"Eh?" I looked at him in confusion.

He points out a baker at a stand selling an assortment of bread. Indeed, my favorite melon bread was sitting dead smack in the middle.

"Ahh…"

"Elsword huh?" He starts chuckling as he holds his stomach.

"Raven!" I start kicking Raven all over the place.

"A bit more lively now huh?" Raven grinned in relief.

"Hmph, who's not lively?" I cross my arms and looked away.

"Rena."

"What?" I looked at him a bit angry, but I tensed up a bit. He was serious now.

"I'm still keeping my promise to you Rena."

"Raven…"

Raven really is an understanding guy. The day when all of us separated, Raven was the only one who could actually stay with me. He would always come to my house and sneak me out so we could play. As the daughter of a highly ranked corporation, I had to act in line as a proper lady with etiquettes and all that jazz. I never had any real fun until I met the other four. And even with them gone, Raven still made my life bearable.

Although, it was because he actually loved me. He stayed in order to eventually confess to me and receive an answer. It was only last year that he was finally able to get those words out. It had taken me by surprise since I never thought anything of his repeated generosity towards me. But in the end, I rejected him. I confessed my love for Elsword as an explanation. It caused him to quietly leave that day only to come back the next and tell me that if Elsword and I were to meet one day, he would do anything in order to give me happiness. Raven was the closest one to me… But I wish that it was Elsword who was close to me. Or maybe if I could somehow respond to Raven's feelings.

"Raven, Rena, what's wrong?" Elsword comes running at us with a worried expression, leaving behind Aisha and Eve.

"What do you mean? Everything's fine." Raven reassured Elsword.

"Hmmm? Well, anyway. Rena! This is your favorite right?" Elsword sticks out a melon bread towards me.

I was still in a daze thinking about what Raven said. I snapped out of it quickly, but then assessed the situation now. I was in astonishment actually. Elsword thought ahead of me.

"Oh, thanks Elsword." I accepted it with gratitude.

"I also got some for you Raven."

"Thanks!"

"Yosh! Let's go take a break and eat out in the grass!" He points to an empty patch of grass and cheerfully smiles at me and Raven.

"Sure, it is almost lunchtime anyways." Raven starts walking towards the suggested spot.

"Let's go Rena!" Elsword extends his arm towards me. I blush a little.

"Sure!" I merrily take his hand and we go together with Raven towards the spot.

Aisha and Eve were already sitting there eating their food in peace. We joined them and started to chat about our lives over the three years. Although, rather than our lives, we mainly talked about our training regime and what we've accomplished over these three years.

Eve seemed to take an interest in mechanics. Aisha pursued the study of magic.

Chung actually trained his body to be able to work against any kind of resistance or weight… which was a bit surprising for most of us other than Eve who was with him the entire time… as a guinea pig.

Raven has been training in his own time to improve his own style of incorporating the use of his arm in conjunction with his sword.

Elsword has gone through "rigorous and life-threatening" boot-camping with his sister… which kind of worried me a little bit. But it helped him unlock his own dual sword-style, so it's fine. I think.

I've been working on just my archery, and I found a lot of uses for different varieties of traps.

"So, exactly how strong have you gotten Elsword?" Aisha asked in curiosity with no malicious intent anywhere.

"Hmm… It's really hard to say. I mean, I don't know how strong you guys are, so I can't really say for sure. I'm pretty sure I am at least stronger than the average knight though."

"Ho… Is that so? Well then, why don't we all have an actual mock battle then?"

Everyone froze upon hearing Aisha's words.

"Wait, a mock battle? I mean, is that even allowed?"

"Upon school grounds, as long as the intercourse is mediated through the appropriate superior or through proper paperwork, it will be sanctioned by the school. Isn't that right? Ms. Red-haired Knight?"

"Eh? Elesis?"

"Correct. I am able to process any request and give them permission for action. In other words, as long as I give the pass, you guys can fight without receiving punishment from the school."

"There you have it! What do you say you all?" Aisha confidently stands with her hands on her hips.

"Wait, I mean. Sure, it may just be a mock battle, but it is still dangerous. Especially since there can be a lot of factors involved. We should at least take it easy for now, right guys?" Chung tried to convince everyone to stop, but Raven and Elsword were already too riled up.

"ALRIGHT, LET'S DO THIS! I'M READY TO KICK SOMEONE'S ASS!"

"BRING IT ON! I'M NOT GONNA LOSE THIS!"

"Ahahah… I guess we have no real choice then with these two." I replied to Chung.

"I guess that's true." Chung looks down in disappointment.

Aisha turns to Eve.

"How about you Ev- Whoa! You're already set-up!" Aisha looks towards her in surprise.

"Ready." Eve gave a monotonous answer.

"Alright then… Counting from 10!" Aisha gets in a stance. Elesis walks back a bit and starts drawing something on the ground."

"9…" Elsword and Raven follow.

"8…" Chung shows no energy in doing so, but does later pick up and gets serious."

"7…" I get out my bow and walk back a few feet"

"6…" Everyone is comfortably in their desired positions.

"5…"

"4…" Elesis begins her chant.

"3…" As an authority of the law proceeded by the Gods of Elrios…

"2…" I shall witness this trial of those who requested…

"1…" Pass judgment on these who you have given…

"0…" And guide them on in the correct path…

"I announce this fight sanctioned under the name of the Great One. _You may begin!_"

"Don't underestimate me!"

Aisha already had a spell chanted beforehand, and everyone prepared a counter attack.


	3. Ch 3: Elsword Vs Raven! Heated Battle!

"_Blizzard Shower!"_

Aisha immediately twirls with ice glittering around her and soon a barrage of ice fell from the sky.

I recoiled back to be just on the edge of the spell range. I find everyone else doing the same, except for Elsword who was a bit slow on the uptake.

"Elsword!" I quickly dash and push him away before a block of ice hit him.

"Are you okay Elsword?"

"I-I'm fine." He seems scared… so cute~.

"What was that Aisha? You could have seriously hurt me!" Elsword fumed.

"*Sigh* you don't know anything about how this school works, do you El-baka?" Aisha responded with a face of pity towards Elsword.

"What was that grape-head?"

"Try asking your sister hot dunderhead."

"Haah?" He turns to Elesis. "What is she talking about now?"

"Elsword, have you not read the complete El High guide?"

"What guide?"

"Remember, the one I gave you the day you were accepted into this school, which was a month from now?"

"Hm…" Elsword put his hand to his chin and goes into deep thought.

"The large massive one?" Elesis's tone had a hint of what Elsword was about to say.

"Oh! That one. I threw that away." Elsword had a goofy smile on his face. I couldn't help but giggle.

Everyone else proceeded to either facepalm themselves or just drop to the floor.

"As expected of my little brother… Listen Elsword. This school has a special system in place that pertains to any sort of fighting within the school. The school ground is under a barrier which affects our equipment and spells differently. For the sake of saving time, basically any damage that would be enacted on your body cannot be fatal. For example, if I was to stab you in the heart, my weapon would only just phase through you and red markings would show you have been damaged there. If a spell was to crush your body, you will not be crushed. However, you will feel reduced pain accordingly from each attack. This is all you need to know for up to this point."

"Really?" Elsword looked at her still seeming puzzled.

"Really." I responded and drew an arrow. I stabbed my arm with it to demonstrate what happens. No blood comes out, but a red marking appears.

"Wow, that's really cool!" He looks completely amazed.

"Hey Rena." I hear Raven call from the side"

"What's up?" I tilt my head.

"You already knew that Elsword was safe. Why did you save him back there?" He slightly grinned, not too much.

"Oh. Well, I didn't want Elsword to get knocked out that quickly." Phew… I was able to say it without stuttering.

"Ah, is that so? I suppose that would've been a bore." Raven put his hands behind his head.

"Alright then, let's resume!" Aisha starts setting up another spell, but this time she moves back slowly.

"Sorry, but I won't let you!" "_Leap Attack". _Chung launches his destroyer to gap close to Aisha and aims to ram her to the ground.

"Sorry as well, I'm not an idiot." "_Poisonous Cloud"_. A hazy green cloud emerged from where Aisha stood.

"_Lunatic Fury_"

"Wait, you're not serious are you?" Aisha got shaky as Chung actually accelerated towards her.

"Here, let me help you with that Chung." "_Guide Arrow_" I shoot three arrows that hone in on Aisha.

"What! Two on one? That's hardly fair!" Aisha really started to panic.

"And that surprise attack on us was?" Raven questioned, still with his hands behind his head.

"_Heaven's Fist – Sweeper"_ A gigantic arm comes out of nowhere, destroys the arrows, and pushes Chung a long distance back.

"What the…?" Elsword and Raven are both gapping in awe. I would be lying if I wasn't surprised either.

"Thanks Eve." Aisha smiles at Eve as Eve approaches her.

"Ouch… That hurt a little too much Miss Eve." Chung was able to quickly jump back to us.

"I'm sorry. I'll be sure to make it stronger next time."

"Ngh." Chung flinches.

"Well… You guys have fun with your little team battle… Elsword is all mine." Raven's tone intensifies.

"So that's your plan huh? Alright then. I'll take you on! Bring it!" Elsword drew his sword out. Raven took his out as well.

* * *

_Elsword's POV:_

It's been quite a while since I've last fought Raven. I hope he doesn't think that I've been goofing off the past three years. Because now… I'm stronger. Much stronger.

"_Shadow Step"_

"This trick again?" Raven dashes quickly behind me.

"_Sword Fire"_ I drive my sword into the ground to explode an array of fire all around me. As expected, he jumps above me.

"_Maximum Cannon"_ He's going to try to crush me here huh?

I roll over to the side and dodge his attack. He falls to the opposite side of me and puts his arm up.

"_Cannon Blade_" A ranged fireball?

I shift to the left of it, but realize that something was wrong. The fireball was never going to hit me in the first place. I prepare to block as I already moved, but Raven wasn't coming from the side.

"_Burning Rush"_ Raven was coming from the fireball. I couldn't dodge it.

"_Breaking Fist_" _"Berserker Blade"_ Raven punched me in the gut and immediately put his sword up and swung extremely hard down on me. I get knocked down on my back a few feet away.

"Dammit. It hurts." The pain was supposed to be reduced, but this feels like hell!

"_Harpoon Spear"_ A giant spear came down at me from an angle. I close my eyes and brace for the worst.

_You should probably move now…_

I open my eyes and my body somehow moves away from the spear.

_A bit pathetic, don't you think partner? You haven't even hit him yet._

Ugh… I know. Heh, don't worry though. I'll win this fight.

_Hmm… I doubt that right now._

Watch that doubt become belief.

"Ho… So you're still up and at it huh?" Raven playfully said to me.

"Come on, I thought you didn't want this to be a bore?"

"Yeah well… This is kind of boring right now." I flinch.

"This battle… is a bit too one sided. Don't you think Elsword?" I grit my teeth.

"When are you going to fight for real?" I kick off the ground and dash towards Raven.

"RIGHT NOW!" "_Assault Slash"_ I charge with my blade pointed forward towards Raven.

"_Shadow Step"_ He thinks going behind me will work this time since I'm charging forward already… However.

"_Mega Slash"_ I do a complete revolution slash and was able to hit Raven. He flies back.

"_Sword Wave"_ In order to keep him from moving, I slash downwards and sent a blast of air towards him. It does connect and he's taking time to recover.

"Alright, here's pay-back Raven!" _"Explosive Fist" _Putting a little fire in my fist, I punch Raven and jumped back as a small explosion occurred where I punched him.

"_Double Slash"_ I heavily slash downwards and charge up my next slash.

"This is it!" I slash for the second time and send Raven pummeling into the ground.

* * *

_Rena's POV:_

"AHHH I LOST?" Aisha looks down in disappointment along with Eve. I laugh a bit.

"Sorry, I guess our superior range outclassed your heavy magic power." I signal a high five to Chung.

"Yeah!" Chung does give me a high five.

"Now then, let's see how the other two are doing." I look back behind me to find Raven and Elsword. I hear someone whistle, probably Chung.

"Whoa, it looks like Elsword actually won!" I look at Chung to see his astonished expression.

"It does! Elsword! Way to g… Wait." I begin to congratulate Elsword, but realize that it isn't over. I see a faint glow under Raven.

"Wait… That isn't good. Elsword, get back!" I try to call out to Elsword before it was too late. He looks over at me.

"What? What's the matter?" He looks back at me. It was too late…


	4. Ch 4: Elsword's Resolve Elesis's Plead

_"Giga Prominence"_ Raven pounded his fist into the ground and soon large explosions erupted around him. Elsword was caught in the explosions and gets knocked back.

"Strong huh?" Raven gets up and reveals a devilish expression.

"I guess that means I'm just stronger now huh?" Raven walks over to Elsword who is trying to stand up.

"Wait. Raven. What are you doing?" I get anxious. Raven's eyes look different.

"I… I'm not… finished just yet. Heh…" Elsword gets up to his knees and chuckles as he says that.

"Raven stop this. You've already won. There isn't any reason to continue this battle is there?" I try to plead with Raven. Something about him is really scaring me.

"Rena is right Raven." Aisha comes up behind me.

"I think red-head is done for now. We should just clean up and continue exploring the school." Aisha calmly says this with her eyes closed.

"Not yet…" Raven refused dead serious. Aisha eyes open wide upon hearing this.

"I don't think neither of us are remotely finished. Right Elsword?"

"Of course not. I'm going to win this battle!" With a bit more vigor and energy, Elsword was able to get back to his fighting stance.

"_Tch_… Elesis, stop this battle. Elsword is not able to continue!" Aisha immediately turns to Elesis.

Elesis stands there silent.

"Elesis! What are you doing?" Aisha says with an agitated tone.

"As of this moment, both fighters are still able to fight, therefore, this battle is not over. By my own standards, this battle will not be stopped." Elesis keeps a stoic expression.

"Are you insane? Elsword is barely standing! Of course he can't fight!"

"First of all, barely standing means you are still able to do something."

"What kind of logic is that?" Aisha starts waving her arms up and down.

"Second of all, I think you all really underestimate Elsword's training for the past three years."

Aisha stops and looks at Elesis completely shocked. Elesis smiles. I look back at Elsword. Raven was already on the attack.

He was mercilessly slicing Elsword everywhere. His movements were too rapid for Elsword to even respond.

"Why is he doing this?" Chung asked.

"Raven seems to be unsatisfied." Eve answers calmly.

"What?"

"Raven wants to see Elsword's true power."

"That may be the case… A shame that he won't be able to see it to the end." I look at Elesis once more in shock.

* * *

_Elsword's POV:_

Everything was blurry. I couldn't see anything. My vision faded to black after a while, but I could still feel myself being awake.

Dammit… it hurts. Being carved everywhere when he isn't even using a single technique. Getting beat down in front of everyone and not being able to do anything to Raven. As if I really didn't get stronger. As if my training was all for nothing. Was I just all talk then?

_Your resolve is really weak you know._

… Hah… You're right. It is weak. Because I'm simply too weak.

_No. You are strong._

Why would you say that?

_Because, you are. Being strong does not mean you can beat another fighter in combat. It does not mean you are able to down an army of hundreds by yourself. No. That is just power. You are not powerful, but you are certainly strong._

…What is being strong? What is strength?

_Being strong means you have the ability to move forward. But right now, you have yet to really move from before, am I wrong?_

…

_You aren't doing anything because you really aren't trying, if you haven't noticed. Quite honestly, you have yet to even release your true power._

My true power?

_Really though… I mean, you've practiced a large variety of techniques like your friends, yet you stuck to using the weaker ones._

But, I was supposed to have strategy right? I needed to use my abilities with certain ta—

_Maybe… If you were smart._

What the heck?

_You should stick to the original plan._

What original plan?

_Fight._

… What?

_Don't think. Just fight on your instincts. Do whatever you want to do in a fight, instead of trying to follow a formulated plan._

… … …

"Elsword… is this really all you have in you? I'm very disappointed."

…

"I thought you said that you got stronger. I thought you promised that very thing for us?"

…

"So you lied. Is that it Elsword? You couldn't accomplish your goal?"

…

"You won't be able to protect us… Not me, Chung, Eve, Aisha…"

…

"Not Rena?"

…

"I see… well. I'll finish this fight for both of us."

Instinct…

*Grab*

"What?"

My eyes open and I could see again. Raven's blade was in front of me, in my hand. He was already charging up another attack."

_"Maximum Cannon_" He aims straight for my chest.

_"Iron Body"_ I stand still and was able to absorb the large explosion that ensued.

Raven is taken aback as I lift my sword.

"_Armageddon Blade"_ I stab Raven and a large aura formed around my sword to coat it. I swing it away from Raven and he stumbles backwards clutching where I stabbed him.

"_Sword Enchant_" I coat the now aura enlarged sword in flames. I grip the hilt with two hands and charge at Raven. Raven looks back in complete awe.

"Who's not strong? Who can't protect anyone?" I wasn't thinking at the time… but.

"I'll show you to not bullshit me!" I knew, I just wanted to beat Raven.

I started to slash my blade in multiple directions towards Raven. I couldn't tell if my attacks connected or not or whether he was taking any damage at all.

_Instinct…_

I just wanted to fight. I just wanted to win. I just wanted recognition. Acknowledgment.

I want someone to look at me and praise me.

That's why… I'll show you how strong I am.

"Don't get cocky here!" Raven parries my attack and charges forward quickly.

"Don't fuck with me!" I slash my sword downwards on top of Raven and the large aura disappears along with the flames.

"This is my win!" I hold both my hands out. I was ready to win. I already had it in my head.

_"Final Str—"_Darkness…

* * *

_Rena's POV:_

"This battle is now over." Elesis was standing next to Elsword. Raven was in front of her trying to catch his breath.

I'm sure the same as me, everyone was completely flabbergasted. Despite feeling so much pain, Elsword was able to nearly win the fight single-handedly. But more importantly, at the end, I could see something materialize in his other hand. It looked really familiar.

"Elesis. That sword that was materializing in Elsword's hand." Aisha walked forward and said that.

"That sword, is not ordinary." Eve added on.

"…" Elesis remained quiet and picked up Elsword.

"Now that this battle is over, I suggest you all return to your rooms and rest up. The pain should fade away after a while. I'll be returning Elsword to his room." Elesis turned to walk away.

"Elesis, I'm not done talking to you!" Aisha tries to get her attention, but Elesis keeps on walking away at a brisk pace.

Aisha sighs and thinks.

I hear Raven moaning and run over to him.

"Raven, are you okay?" I asked sincerely worried.

"Yeah… Thanks for asking." He says holding his head.

"Good good… Now then." Now that he's okay…

"Hmm? … Oh."

I was still mad that he insisted to continue the fight. Although I didn't show it by continuously smiling, I think my message got to him clear.

"I'll tell you my reasoning later. When we're alone." He stands up and walks towards the other three.

"Hold up!" I follow him.

"That was quite a surprise." Eve spoke out.

"No kidding. Raven goes all crazy and attacks Elsword and Elsword does the exact same thing." Chung nods.

"But, why did Elesis suddenly stop the fight when she wouldn't from before?" Chung questions.

"Chung, have you not seen that sword before?" Aisha looks over at Chung in surprise.

"Ah, that sword that was forming in Elsword's other hand? What about it?" Chung still confused.

"Actually, I'm not too sure about that sword either." I admitted.

"It looked like a normal sword to me." Raven added on.

"I see… Well then. Here is a little history lesson for the three of you."

Aisha takes a deep breath.

* * *

_Elsword's POV:_

_Ahh… You've gone and done it now Elsword._

What? You're the one who told me to fight on instinct!

_Yeah… I didn't say get carried away and try to use me._

Kuh…

_Oh well… Good luck dealing with Elesis._

Gulp…

I regain consciousness and see that I'm laying down on a bed. I sit up a little and find Elesis sleeping next to me… cuddling me…

… … … … … …

What. The. Hell?

Okay calm down… it's Elesis we're talking about. She was just worried about me because I was about to do something taboo to her rules and I took a lot of damage. So, of course she would nurse me like this, because she's my sister, right? Okay good. Good Elsword, you're using common sense. Okay then…

I observe the room that we're currently in and realize… Wow, this place is just gorgeous! It looks so luxurious. Everything is perfectly clean, white, spick and span! It's like I'm living in a castle and I'm in the royal bedroom or something!

Alright! I think I'll get up and explore for a bit!

I lift the sheets and look at Elesis one more time to see that…

She's only in her underwear.

… … … … … …

Alright… again Elsword, nothing wrong with that. You are blood related siblings. She was worried about you being cold, so she warmed you up with her b-b… ahem. Body. And she wanted you to rest soundly. But… upon closer observation, I have to admit. Shamefully… Elesis body was really well developed. I haven't been able to get a close look since we've always been training in armor and training gear. I don't think I've even see Elesis out of uniform before. But, her legs were so slender and she was well curved. Her bust was well shaped. Her hair was so silky smooth and her peaceful face was… WAIT WHAT THE HECK AM I THINKING ABOUT?

I look away from Elesis's sleeping face and try to calm myself down, almost ramming my head against the wall.

"So… is this your preference little brother?" I look back at Elesis to see her eyes were wide open.

"EH?" I jump against the wall away from Elesis.

She… was awake the entire time?

"I see… So having no contact with a woman's body has built up your curiosity like this. I see…" Elesis says that while nodding in a tone that reflects as if she discovered something really interesting.

"No! You got it wrong Elesis! I mean. Anyone would be shocked to see some girl in her underwear cuddling up against him. It's just not natural you know? I mean, I know you mean well, but, well… We're siblings too, but it's not like you're not…" I stop right there. I caught myself in a mine field.

"Not like I'm not?" Elesis questions me further, getting closer.

"Not! Not… not…" I trail off, hoping to find a way to escape this.

"Not…?" For some reason, Elesis eyes got a lot more innocent, yet really erotic.

"Umm! Well! I! Uh! Heh! Uhh!" My brain was breaking down.

Her eyes darted a little. She pressed her forehead on top of mine.

"Do you feel weak? Hurt? Dizzy?"

"Huh?" Surprised, I froze and stayed at a confused expression.

"The battle didn't stress you out at all, did it?" Elesis's tone turned down and it sounded really sincere.

"No." I answered, still confused.

"*Sigh* Thank goodness." She embraced me.

"Elesis?"

"Don't push yourself too much Elsword."

"I acknowledge you Elsword. I see your hard work. I see your dedication and your effort." Her voice got really soft. Sounding as if in admiration.

"I see how much you love swords. I see how creative you are with fire. I can see your inspiration everywhere and your excitement in everything you want to do." She started to choke on her words.

"I know you want to be praised for that dedication and effort. I know you want to win due to your hard work. I know you want to be strong." She was crying.

"That's why you took Conwell, right? You wanted more power, the strength to protect others. Despite knowing the risks, you still accepted it all. Because you said there was no other way for someone with no talent to get power." Her grip became stronger.

"I know you never had the same parental love I had. Everyone says you're a failure because they saw nothing in you. But all of them are wrong!" Her voice got raspy and rough..

"You may not see it, but without you I can't do anything. I'm not the proud "Red-haired knight" that everyone brags on about and can show off. I'm not the genius Elesis who can accomplish anything." She started shaking.

"Yes, I have power. I can wipe out cities. I can slay dragons and beasts all across the continent. Everyone expected so much of me and scolded me for doing something wrong. My fault, yet you always took the blame and they would forget about the incident after calling you an annoyance, worthless trash. Even when I was more depressed at that, you told me that all you wanted was for me to smile. You never realize how much it meant to me that my smile was the most important thing to you back then. It felt like I had a human purpose in life, rather than being some fighting machine every day."

"Three years ago, you said you would be strong enough to protect us. So you pursued that goal and trained nonstop. You wanted to make that dream come true. For me and everyone else." Elesis calmed down at this point.

"That battle with Raven, you questioned it, didn't you?" My eyes grew wide.

"I'll give you that recognition. Elsword, you are strong. After all this time of watching you, I can proudly say you are a strong knight. You are worthy of being next to even the most talented fighters in the world. I'm not saying this because I'm your sister or based off of how strong I am. I say this, because I know you are. So. Please. You must understand this as well, because you are strong. There is a limit to strength."

"You aren't invincible. You aren't an almighty hero who can defeat an army all by himself. You are still just a kid. You've already faced enough stress." She lets go and faces me.

"So please, I ask you this time. I want you to keep asking me for my smile. I don't want you to stop saying that. Don't disappear. You're my only family Elsword, and the only one that is closest to me. I don't want to lose that."

I never knew Elesis felt like this. Back then, I just wanted her to be more energetic, so since I knew she would do anything for me, I told her to smile. To always smile for me no matter what. I'd be able to live through life if she would smile at me. Up until now, I knew she kept me close to her heart, but I never really thought that I had such a huge impact on her life. She's watched me so closely just for such a silly reason… Why do I feel so guilty now? Indulging in my own suffering, I ended up making her suffer even more.

"I promise you, I'll always be here with you. Big Sister." I hug her tight in my arms.

"Elsword…" She starts crying. She cries a lot, just like I used to. I guess the roles are switched for now, Elesis being the crybaby.

We stay like this for a while. Eventually, Elesis calms down and we both end up sitting on the bed for a few minutes.

"Elesis." She looks over at me.

"Yes?"

"I want to be able to wield Conwell efficiently without straining my body. So, I'm thinking about training a little bit more. Can you help me with that?"

She's discomforted by my favor, but she gently smiles at me.

"Alright, but we're not going to train that hard."

"Fair enough… Also, another question." She looks at me again still smiling.

"Why did you sleep with me, cuddling me, in only your underwear, and why are you still continuing to be in your underwear?" I blush and look away.

"Oh. I thought you would enjoy it." She looks at me with a straight face.

"Elesis. I'm sorry to say this, but I don't have any sort of lust towards my sister. My blood related sister." I close my eyes getting a bit agitated.

"Is that so? Why were you so flustered when you stared at my body then?"

"Ngh… I was not!" I look away turning my body opposite of her.

"Ah, you're blushing right now too."

"I am not!"

I feel her arm going around my waist and resting on… my friend down there.

"Elesis! What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if "he" really doesn't lust after my body."

"Stop! What does it matter to you anyways?" I try to push her away, but she's still on me.

"It is a sister's said duty to be able to attend to her brother's needs. Whether it be personal needs, emotional needs… or sexual needs." Her pause before she said sexual needs, had lust itself.

"What sister duty? That just sounds like certain brother and sisters. I don't need that kind of attending!"

"But it is quite lively. I must take care of it now so it does not become a bother for you later." She tries to take off my pants.

"E-Elesis! Stop it!" I managed to push her off and make my way to the door. As soon as I was about to grab the doorknob…

_*Click*_

"Elsword! Are you alright?" Rena opens the door…

At this point, I'm sure in her eyes, a young boy with his pants slightly down is in a room with a girl who has only her underwear on. What does this equate to? I'm not sure… but I think Rena's frozen face will tell me in about five seconds. I hope not.

"Elsword…" Rena keeps her expression the same.

"Yeah?" I managed to get that out.

"Could you explain to me why you and your sister are dressed like this?" Rena still in the same state.

"Would you believe me if I said she basically forced me in this situation?" I said really hoping she would.

"…" Rena is still frozen.

"Ah, Rena. Elesis comes up from behind and hugs me while greeting Rena. Rena flinches.

"I was just about to help with Elswords libido. Would you care to join me?" Elesis playfully says.

"Eh?" Rena is taken aback.

"Rena, don't listen to her. We weren't about to do that at all!" I tried to reassure Rena and convince her otherwise.

"W-Well… I don't think I would mind."

Eh?

"What was that Rena?" I asked completely curious. I couldn't hear her due to her small voice there.

"N-Nothing at all!"

"Hey, is this Elsword's room?"

Wait… Aisha is here too?

Rena also grasps the situation and starts to panic.

"Uh! No. It isn't Elsword's room!" Rena tried to get Aisha to go away.

"Oh no, it is Elsword's room!" Elesis calls out to Aisha, still hugging me"

"Are you seriously trying to get me killed?" I shouted at Elesis.

"Whoa, what's with all the ye—"Aisha sees me and stops.

… … …

I'll leave to your imagination what happens next… Trust me. It isn't pretty.


	5. Ch 4x: Conwell

**Author's Note: Additional chapters like these will usually be brief. They will detail extra information that will either pop up in a later chapter and possibly give out *hints* or detail small passing events purely for the enjoyment of the reader. **

**Skipping this chapter will not hurt the reading experience. These kinds of chapters are purely just for enjoyment and or early information.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_Elsword. Please be okay._

Elesis walks through the corridors to bring Elsword to his new room.

"Hey. Is that the "Red-haired Knight" Elesis?"

"Wow it really is!"

…

"She's carrying someone? Who is it?"

"Is it her lover?"

"Of course not! Probably someone who fainted from her or something."

…

"Wait a minute. Isn't that her little brother?"

"The reject?"

…!

"Oh yeah, I heard he was disowned by the family."

"They said he was a failure at fighting and there was a huge uproar about it."

"Really? I never though anyone from the Sieghart family would be weak."

_Shut up…_

"Ehh. I feel bad for Elesis. Why is she even carrying him? If he really is such a disgrace to the family, shouldn't she just leave him alone?"

"You know, it's kind of surprising they haven't abandoned him yet."

_Shut up._

"Waah. Big sister Elesis is so kind!"

_Who are you calling Big Sister?_

Elesis starts to lose her temper.

"That kid is lucky he's even related to Elesis. He should be grateful for that, and that he's not out wallowing the dumps of Elrios."

_*Stomp* Elesis plants her right foot firmly on the ground creating a small quake._

"_You know… It's very disrespectful to be discussing such vile things on sacred grounds. Especially when such vile things are slandering another's existence."_

_She slightly turns her head around to show her left eye. It was seething with rage._

"_Is this how El High's proud students should be behaving?"_

The girls that were behind Elesis now bow their heads.

"We apologize Ms. Sieghart! We will reflect upon our behaviors! Forgive our words!"

"_As long as you all understand."_

Elesis continues to walk towards Elsword's new room.

* * *

_Rena's POV:_

"Conwell?" Raven and Chung both questioned together.

"Yes… Conwell. The legendary spirit sword." Aisha responded calmly.

"Wait a minute. That sword. Was it not sealed a long time ago? It was locked away in the depths of a blocked mountain that no one should be able to enter." I became anxious as I asked.

"Correct. This sword indeed _used to be_ sealed away in a forbidden mountain." Eve replied to me.

"_Used to_?" My eyes widened.

"From recent reports, around the time of its disappearance, there were two individuals who seemed to have successfully entered the mountains and both left within a short amount of time."

"As I thought…" Aisha looked down with her eyes closed.

"Don't tell me." It was…

"Elsword and Elesis must've been the ones to go to Conwell." Aisha concluded.

"Why…"

"Wait wait wait. So Conwell is a sealed sword in a forbidden mountain. Can you explain why it would be sealed and why the mountain is forbidden in the first place?" Chung cut in.

"Jeez, where have you two been the past three years? Or even the past 15 years!" Aisha face palmed.

"Ahem… Conwell is a sword of unknown origins. No one knows who created it and how it is created. Research has shown that it is not of Earth or even man-made material. It seems to be made of steel, but it is much sharper and durable than that. Thus, many blacksmiths and scientists gathered in order to "test" the sword. In order to completely identify any "triggers" or "effects" the sword may have, many swordsman have also been gathered to test that sword." Aisha took a second to take a deep breath and continued on.

"The thing is, when many different swordsman took up the sword, the most common reaction was nothing. It was just plain sword, but even though it was proven to be durable and sharp, whenever they would swing the sword around and try to cut things, it was as if it was a dull blunt weapon. It even started to chip at some point. But then, when more experienced swordsmen took up sword, it reacted in the opposite way. It was extremely sharp and nothing would make it chip. No other sword could chip it at all. In fact, it made every other sword almost completely break. However, there was a side effect. The swordsmen at that point said they felt strange emotions that they could not describe. Some of them shrugged it off, but many of them tossed the sword away and cowered against the wall. The people around saw it's incredible power, and so they thought it would be best to give it to someone best fit for it. This happened 15 years ago.

13 years later, a particular red haired girl went up to test the sword for herself. Known across the land, she was granted immediate permission. For better or worse, it did seem she could wield it. In the reports, it said she swung it around with ease and elegance. In fact, it seems that she was in fact smiling when wielding it. But she immediately turned to them and rejected the sword. She proposed to seal it away in a mountain cut off from society."

"Two years later, we are now here." Aisha looks up at all of us.

"Wait a minute. You're meaning to tell me Elsword was about to swing at me with something that dangerous? I mean, even under the barrier that sounds painful!" Raven acts in a comedic fashion.

"Raven, you don't see the bigger picture?" I asked him seriously.

"*Sigh* Elesis was the only one to properly wield it without going crazy. She was the one to basically seal it away, but now she took it back and Elsword has it now." Raven took on a serious tone this time.

Everyone was discomforted by this news. And silence ensued.

"I guess there's nothing to do other than go ask them then." Chung broke the silence.

"You think they will actually tell us?" Aisha questioned.

"Come on. We've been friends for many years. Although they seem to be hiding it, they are probably just trying to figure out the situation themselves before they explain it to us. I'm 100% confident that if we give our honest opinions, they will tell me." Chung said with his fist on his chest.

"Whoa. Seems like someone got smoother over the three years huh?" Raven teased Chung.

"Huh? You think so? Heh." Chung scratches his face in embarrassment.

"Well. It is worth a shot." I added with a smile.

But, I still feel sick somewhere. Elsword took on a huge risk even going near the sword. Why did he do it? More importantly, why was Elesis not against it? Is Elsword… really that power hungry?

* * *

_Elesis's POV:_

_Finally._

Elesis finally arrives at the door of Elsword's new room and enters. The room was completely empty, only containing a bed and a window with two empty closets. The bed was a large white canopy bed neatly made, as if it was completely brand new.

_At least some people don't let their emotions get in the way of their work._

Elesis slowly goes to the bed and lays Elsword down gently. She takes off his shoes and socks and places his sword on the bedside. She puts a cover over him.

_Elsword. Rest in peace please._

Elesis says that and starts to walk away. But when she gets to the doorknob, she hears Elsword moaning and talking in his sleep.

"Mmm… Aisha…"

_Eh?_

"Stupid… grape-head. I love my sister. But…"

_B-but?_

Elesis looks back at Elsword and quickly gets close to put her ear closer.

"Mmm… love… Aisha."

… _Huh?_

_Elsword… is in love… with Aisha?_

_What is this? How did I not know? Even though I've closely observed him ever since he was a little baby, I didn't know he actually loved someone. This is unexpected… especially Aisha?_

"I don't want to be alone."

Elesis jumps and looks at Elsword. He is in a bit of agony.

…

She gently hugs him.

_Don't worry, you won't be alone Elsword. Even if they leave you, I'll always be here. As long as you can promise me…_

Elesis stays like this for a while.

_But, now that I think about it. It's been a while since we've been alone without having any missions or training to do._

Elesis looks around the room, goes out of the room and scans the hallway. She looks out the window and when seeing that no one is near, she closes the curtains.

She proceeds to strip down to her underwear and goes under the covers with Elsword.


	6. Ch 5: El High Explore! Pt 2 Confession

_Rnnnggg Rnnnggg!_

"Class, all rise!"

August 26th, 2014. The second day of school.

"Bow!"

… I don't even want to think.

"Be seated now!"

Ugh…

"Thank you Elesis." Elesis curtseys. She was standing at the front with Ms. Asquith as she acted sort of like our class representative. It kind of looked weird to me since I've never really seen Elesis act like a polite lady. Although, as soon as we make eye contact, she curtseys again, but obviously with a different aura.

"Getting hots for your sister huh?" Raven whispered behind me.

"Get off my back!" I retorted quietly.

"Elsword. I know your sister is probably the closest girl to you… but. Ahem, that does not allow for inappropriate behavior between you two." Rena joined in too.

"She's the one starting these inappropriate behaviors!"

"Mr. Sieghart?" I hear Ms. Asquith call out.

"Yes Ma'am?" I shot up from my seat.

"Since you seem to be very garrulous today, why don't you explain to the class about the Seven Trials of the Deadly Sins?" She sternly says.

"Of course!" I answered without fully processing everything.

"The Seven Trials of Deadly Sins are!" I freeze. I did not even know what that was at all.

I tried to look around the room for help. Most of the kids were just looking at me with interested looks… some with disgust. I turn to my dear seven friends for help. Raven was behind me, so I can't look at him. Rena was directly in front of me, so it would be obvious if she helped me. Aisha… despises cheating. Chung apologized in gestures, I can only imagine why. Eve stared at me with a blank, so I assumed she didn't understand my predicament at all.

I thought to myself that now I'm going to make an idiot out of myself since I have no clue what the answer is. Until a miracle happens.

"The Seven Deadly Sins refer to specific acts of humanity that goes against the divine laws of morality. The seven sins are given as wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. As proud warriors of the continent, students are required to take a trial to test our moralities, hence the Seven Trials of the Deadly Sins." I managed to say all that sweating along the way.

Ms. Asquith was quite surprised.

"Well done Elsword. You may have a seat."

"Thank you!" I slowly sat down in my seat. I hear whispers go around.

"Wow, a lowlife like that actually knew."

"I guess even people like "he" can still be knowledgeable."

"I bet you he just lip read off of someone."

HEY… that's totally right. I look at Elesis who was standing at the front of the room still and quietly thank her. She smirks at me and looks straight at the class.

"You sure you don't have that feeling for your sister?" Raven once again whispers into my ear.

"Raven, I swear to god."

"Now that you all have comfortably settled into your new dorm and are familiar with the school, it is now time to assign to you your first mission."

… Eh?

The class springs up in excitement. All of them billowing around about how we're already getting a mission. Everyone but Aisha and Eve are dancing around, already trying to guess what kind of mission it is. Looking at Aisha and Eve, I can tell that it's not going to be any kind of mission they are imagining. Raven, Chung, and Rena all got the message too.

"Your first mission is to do the following three tasks."

She grabbed a chalk stick and without even touching the blackboard, the chalk was diminishing as words appeared.

_Find an upperclassman for the first week and…_

_Explore the school with him or her. _

_Challenge him or her to a duel. _

_Explore the outskirts of the school_

_After all the following tasks are completed, write an essay detailing what you have learned from your experience and what is unique about your chosen upperclassman._

An upperclassman?

KYAAAAAA! And the whole room goes wild.

"I choose Elesis as my upperclassman!"

"No! She's going to be my upperclassman!"

"Sorry ladies, but I think she would prefer escorting a tall strong guy like me"

"As if! She would much rather prefer the company of a charming lady."

"No fair! I called dibs first!"

"There is such "dibs" or "calling" or anything in this school." Ms. Asquith cuts in and creates a sphere which exploded and sent a loud ringing noise into our eardrums.

"Because of certain circumstances, Ms. Elesis Sieghart will automatically be paired up with Mr. Elsword Sieghart."

Everyone went silent.

"Tch… of course. The brat gets her." Oi oi…

"Ms. Sieghart, you are also allowed to select another underclassman to take in."

Another one huh? She'll probably pick one of the other five guys. It would be nice if she picked Aisha, but she'll probably pick…

"Then, Aisha Ryder."

Wait? Really?

"Yes!" Aisha responded with full attention.

"Alright then. Class will be dismissed early so you may all start. The next time you come back here is next Monday. I expect all of you to have a long essay of at least five pages."

Ms. Asquith exited the room, and once more, when she completely left, everyone got up. I could feel everyone's death stares.

"So, it seems like you got paired with your sister. I think fate is working his magic here." Raven for the third time, says to me.

"My god, will you put that to rest?" I say exhausted. I look over at Rena who is staring off into space a little. I walk up to her.

"Rena, are you okay?"

"Huh?" She looks up startled.

"It just seems that you were a little out of it just now." She stares for a few seconds, but looks down and back up with a smile.

"Probably just your imagination. I'm fine."

"Oh. That's fine then."

"Rena, Eve, do you guys want to go group with an upperclassman together?" Chung came up from behind.

"That does not seem undesirable." Eve answers with her unusual speaking.

"Wait, what about me?" Raven asks.

"Mmm… I'll go with you Raven. Chung, you go with Eve."

"Alright then Rena. Let's go Eve?" Chung signals to leave and Eve follows.

"Roger captain."

"Captain?" Sweat drop for Chung.

"Alright, I'll see you later then Elsword." Rena waves at me and leaves with Raven.

"Well then, I guess it's just us three now." Aisha walks up with her arms crossed. Her tone seemed a bit rude and she has an angry expression on.

"What, you don't want to be with me?" I questioned her.

"Of course, who wants to be with El-Baka?"

"Ngh…" For some reason, I didn't feel like fighting back today.

Aisha notices and gets confused. She loses her angry expression and turns soft.

"We're leaving now you two." Elesis was already at the door waiting for us.

"Okay. Let's go Aisha."

"Okay." She answers a bit more docile.

Me and Aisha both follow Elesis around the school. It was quite the view. Really enjoyable… Except for the fact that it was completely silent.

Elesis didn't say anything the past 40 minutes we've walked around. I've been getting a bit awkward, and I think Aisha was feeling the same as well. Elesis never turned around though, and I was too scared to even break the silence.

"So…" Aisha actually breaks the silence first.

"How are you Elsword?" What guts she has to even ask that in my sister's presence.

"Pretty great actually!" I answered whole-heartedly without thinking.

"Oh, really? How come?" Yep, landmine.

"Oh! Well." I guess it doesn't hurt to be honest.

"You can say that it's just I've been feeling sad not being able to see you guys for a very long time. I'm honestly really happy right now being next to you again." I gave a large smile.

Aisha blushes.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah!"

"Mmm…" She starts playing with her fingers.

"It's really nice seeing you again too Elsword." She shows me such an innocent smile. It was so beautiful.

… Silence ensued.

It stayed mainly silent for a while. Elesis finally talked and we explored for basically the entire day since it was apparently "oh so important" we did this task correctly. Eventually it was 9:12pm. Night fell upon us, telling us it was nearing curfew. Elesis stopped talking about 30 minutes ago as we continued to wonder around.

"Man, it really feels weird how we're not barking at each other huh?" Aisha blushes more and scratches her head while facing the opposite direction.

"Yeah, it really is. Ahahaha." I tried to laugh the awkwardness off.

"Well then. Has the three years been for you Elsword?" And with a topic like that.

"Uh. Pretty good. I've been training nonstop for the past three years." Somehow, I feel like that was a pretty bad answer but.

"I see. So, obtaining Conwell was also part of your training?" My eyes widened. All of us stopped walking.

"Aisha. Why do you know that?"

"You think I'm oblivious to world affairs? Especially about incidents within this continent?" Aisha's voice was very calm.

"Tell me. Why did you unseal Conwell and take it?" Aisha had her face the other way, I couldn't tell whether she was mad or not.

"For help." I answered sincerely.

"Help?" Still the same tone.

"I. At the time, I thought that even if I worked hard and put forth effort, I would never actually get stronger. So, I asked Elesis if there was any possible way for me to get stronger through another method. Although she told me no, I felt like she wasn't really saying the truth. I searched around and found out about Conwell, so I went to the mountain by myself initially. Elesis followed me in the end and decided to support me."

"I see."

"Aisha. I-"

"Now that you have Conwell, can you say that the decision you made was the correct decision?" Aisha finally turned to me with a completely blank expression. It actually scared me. However…

"Yes."

"…" Aisha looked at me with pained smile for a split second, but looked towards Elesis.

"Well, I think that's enough for exploring the school. Unless you are going to actually explain these places or maybe share your commentary on them?"

"No. For now, I think it is fine to just take the day off now. Quite honestly, I have nothing to say about this school."

"Oi…" I look at Elesis already exhausted from hearing the legendary "Red-haired Knight" saying there's nothing to say about this school.

The three of us end up going into the courtyard.

Although I have already confirmed this over and over again. This place is just too incredible.

The courtyard was filled with sakura trees almost ready to bloom at any moment. However, they were strangely colored differently. The trees were around the perimeter of the courtyard while there stood in the middle a gigantic tree. Around it was a patch of grass with some flowers arranged in a diamond shape. On the side were a few benches and stones to add to the texture of the place.

"Hey, how come these trees are colored differently?" I turned to Elesis and Aisha as I asked.

"Oh, these sakura trees?" Aisha walks up and pulls out her staff. She shoots out a frostball and a fireball to the red and blue sakura trees. On impact, both trees bloomed and a bunch of little petals exploded out into the air. The red petals were slightly burning while the blue petals had a small chilling air around it.

With the contrast in the darkness, the red petals burning and sparks had such a miraculous feel to it while the blue petal freezing and falling gave a mystical feeling as if next to a real lake of crystals.

"These are enchanted by different elements. I can only pop the red and blue ones however."

"That's amazing!"

"It is a nice view."

I look around and see that Elesis wasn't near us. I look out further and see she was hiding. She was holding up a sign. Since she used a pen that glows in the dark, it was easy to read. It said…

"Confess!"

… What. The. Hell.

I look at Aisha to see if she's paying attention. Once confirming she wasn't, I tried to gesture and mouth what I wanted to say to Elesis.

"Are you insane? What are you trying to make me do?"

Elesis writes something else that says…

"Come on, the mood is right. She's being so cute right now. You're being cute right now. You're not arguing and you were just reminiscing about the past. Now is the chance!" It amazes me how she can even write that much in such short time.

"It's Aisha though! I highly doubt she likes me that way!"

She writes something different again that says…

"Do it, or I'll come out and reveal embarrassing things about you!"

"WHAT?" I actually said that out loud.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Aisha quickly turned to me.

"UH… NOTHING." I was still being loud.

"Why are you yelling?" Aisha looked very confused.

"Umm…"

"Yes?"

Oh what the hell… Either way, I've wanted to ask her all this time. If she says no, what's the worst that can happen? Nothing will change if I don't try, right?

"Aisha. How do you feel about me?" I look straight into her eyes. She blushes upon hearing me.

"Huh? Wh-w-what are you asking Elsword? How I feel about you?" She became bash.

"Yes. How do you feel about me?"

"Well of course, you're an idiot who fails at everything he does!" That actually kind of hurt. But.

"I'm pretty sure you really do feel that way about me. But that's not what I'm asking."

"What are you asking then? Huh? El-Ba…." I get closer with a dead serious expression.

"ka…" I take her hands.

"Aisha. How do you feel about me?"

"Elsword…" She finally started taking me seriously and looked me in the eyes.

Now that I'm actually thinking consciously, we're really close! I can smell her scent. Even in the dark, I could make our her features. Her eyes were so clear and mesmerizing. The small red tints on her cheek. Her lips that looked so succulent. Even her hands, they felt so soft and warm. Oh god, I'm falling even more in love with her.

"I'll make it easier then. Aisha, I love you." I said it while blushing.

Aisha's whole face turned red.

"Ever since we were kids, I had a crush on you. Even though we usually fight and we don't seem to get a long, I can't help but think about you and your personality. How nice and smart you are. I felt like you were the one other than my sister I could relay my problems to. Raven and Rena always listened to me, but I felt like confiding myself in you gave me more strength. You always gave me an encouraging smile."

"Elsword… you."

"So please, tell me. How do you feel about me?"

Aisha's expression told me many mixed feelings. It looked like she was sad, yet surprised, yet confused. Most of all though, it had a sense of discomfort and hurt in it.

"I'm sorry. Could you give me some time to think about it?" Aisha moved a little away from me, still holding my hands.

"… Alright. Can we stay like this for a while though?"

"Okay." Aisha answered in a small voice.

* * *

_Rena's POV:_

… He finally did it. He finally confessed to Aisha.

"Rena…"

Raven looked at me with sorrow. I shook my head.

"Elsword made his choice already. No helping it. That's why… it's important that I push him further. Right?" I tried to smile, but tears forcibly came out.

"Well, right now it's not official." Raven tried to look hopeful.

"Even so. Elsword does not want me. He wants Aisha." I felt completely defeated.

"So. I'll do whatever it takes to get Aisha to be with Elsword."

"…" Raven looked at me with pity.

"Don't look at me like that." I shook my head again.

"I'm fine… really." My vision became watery.

"I'm totally fine… totally *hic* fine. I'm… not… bothered *hic*" Raven embraces me.

"It's okay, cry if you want."

I couldn't hold it in any longer, and I started to cry. I cried for a very long time, for the first time in forever.

Life wasn't fair. But honestly, that's all right. Because at least I can help the one I love. Yes… I'll help Elsword. No matter what happens.

"Alright, we should be going back to our rooms." I hear Elesis say that.

"A-Alright then!" Aisha answered awkwardly.

Elsword nods.

"Yeah!"

The three of them walked away.

"… So. What exactly are you going to do?" Raven asked me while trying to get a look at my face.

I look up, close my eyes, and slap my cheeks.

"Well first…"

* * *

_Elsword's POV:_

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow Elsword."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow too. Aisha."

We both wave goodbye and I make my way towards my room.

I arrive there no later than five minutes, open the door, close it, and then slowly laid myself on the bed.

The first thing on my mind is… I did it. I actually did it. I confessed to Aisha. The best part is, she might even say yes!

Elesis was actually right! Confessing to her in those conditions at that moment really got her to maybe say yes! I mean, if she said no, that would be too bad. But it would have been close… Wait, is going on in my head right now.

Gosh, I don't even know how to think anymore. All I know is, she might say yes. That's good enough for me.

I start rolling on the bed, wrapping myself in my blanket.

*Knock knock*

I come to a stop and get out of the bed. I walk up to the doorknob.

"Man. Who could it be at this hour?"

I open the door to see Rena.

"Rena? What are you doing here?" I questioned her.

"Hey Elsword. Do you want help with getting Aisha to fall deeply in love with you?"

… What?

"Why would I want that to happen?"

"Because, you love Aisha. Right?" Rena basically had a poker face through this ordeal.

"What? What got you that idea?"

"Aisha. How do you feel about me?" Rena was imitating me.

"Okay I get it! Don't do anymore!" I immediately tried to stop her. She did stop.

"So… Do you want help?" My eyes widened a little bit. I know Rena always wants to help me, but to this extent?

"… Yes." I kind of answer shyly.

"Alright then. Tomorrow, we'll start planning. Alright?" She smiles at me.

"Roger!" I respond to her with energy.

She waves me goodbye and starts walking off.

… This day, has to be a miracle placed upon me.

* * *

_Rena's POV:_

This… is for the best. Elsword and Aisha will hook up, and they will live happily ever after. Right?

… Of course. This is how things should be.

Elsword… would never look my way.

Even if he does consider me a woman.

He would never want me.

So… this is right… because I love him.

* * *

**We're getting closer and closer to the climax of the first part of this story. Hang on tight guys ^.^.**


	7. Ch 6: I Need To Be Stronger

_Elsword's POV:_

August 27th, 2014. 7:35 am.

*Yawn*. I wake up.

I stand up out of bed and walk to the bathroom.

I take a quick shower.

I floss, mouth-wash, and brush my teeth.

I go to my dressing closet.

Then it dawns upon me…

"_Do you want to help with getting Aisha to fall deeply in love with you?"_

"_What would I want that to happen?"_

""_Aisha. How do you feel about me?""_

"_Alright then. Tomorrow, we'll start planning. Alright?"_

I wasn't properly thinking last night. But now that I am…

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

Don't tell me. Rena was there the entire time?

Wait. Did she know all this time that I harbored feelings for Aisha?

Oh god. That's so embarrassing… and why does it now feel unimportant.

*knock knock*

Someone was knocking on my door. I quickly throw on some clothes and walk to the door.

I open the door to see Rena was on the other side.

"Rena? What are you doing here?" I rubbed my left eye.

She pouted.

"What do you mean? Aren't we going to plan how to get Aisha to completely fall for you?"

"Oh… Oh!" Wow, that was quick. Rena giggles.

"Ahahah… So. How are we doing this?" I asked completely curious.

"Well. First off, we'd have to exactly gauge your current relationship with Aisha, or at least in her perspective." Rena puts a finger to her chin.

"So how do we do that?"

"We, or I "did it" by asking around the bushes."

"Really? What did she say?"

She cleared her throat and had a poker face on.

"Eh? El-baka? Well, if you wanted a completely honest answer. He's just an annoying brat in which I can't really figure out the mystery of why I can even be within the same air as him. Stubborn, uneducated, and irrational." She imitated Aisha.

I fell down to my knees in agony.

"I think I get it now."

"Although, she stuttered a lot and was blushing."

"Huh?" I looked up confused.

"She's just being a little tsundere." Rena shrugs as she says that.

"Really?" I get up in surprise.

"Yeah! That's why you are going to have to take the initiative. That way, you can sweep her off her feet." Rena gestures literally taking someone off their feet.

"Is that really possible on someone like Aisha?"

"Guaranteed!" Rena gives me an "okay" signal with her hand.

"Well before then, I need to go talk to Elesis about today then." I start walking past Rena, but she stops me.

"Don't worry about that. I already took care of things."

* * *

"_Hey Elesis."_

"_What's up Rena?"_

"_Would you mind giving Elsword and Aisha a day off from the mission we were assigned?"_

"_Hm. Alright."_

"_Thanks!"_

* * *

… Alright then.

"So, exactly what should I do then?" I questioned Rena.

"Well, since Aisha hasn't responded to you, we need to increase your relationship points. Right now, I think it's wavering around quite a bit. You are going to have to satisfy her completely." Rena lectured me as if she was a teacher.

"Satisfy her?"

"Yep. You just have to show her your good points and do things she enjoys."

"Makes sense. But what things does she li—"Before I could finish, Rena already had a piece of paper in front of me that listed various details that Aisha enjoys.

"So, you ready to go win her heart?" Rena smiles brightly.

"Yes Ma'am!" I salute to her. Rena laughs.

We both walk out to find Aisha.

But, as we're walking, I contemplate over what's happening and wonder, why is Rena doing all of this for me? Although she's always had this motherly figure about her, to think she'd help me even with Aisha… I'm really glad to have a friend like her.

Rena and I walk around the school grounds to try and find Aisha. Rena suggested we try searching around the research facilities. The research facilities mainly being either the laboratories that are stationed here, the grand library, the green house, or the underground chamber which only certain officials are allowed access to.

It was kind of obvious which one Aisha would be in…

The grand library, which is also known as, Bibliotheca Mystica de Alexandria. It contains hundreds of thousands of books of limitless entries that describes history of life, history of fighting, history of magus, history of anything really. Among these hundreds of thousands of books, there are actually 900,666 books which are extremely dangerous to read. They contain taboo magic and fighting styles that are for the sole purpose of murder. In this day and age, we live in a somewhat peaceful world void of any actual wars. For that reasons, anything that has the intent to murder is banned and will not go unpunished.

"Ah, there she is." Rena points up at the third floor. Aisha is reading a few books at at able.

"Alright. The first thing we can do here is trigger some flags." Rena said with her hands on her hips.

"Flags?" I asked.

"Yeah. When you are trying to get someone's heart, you will trigger different events or conversations with them that will increase your relationship points with them. You call these events and conversations "flags." This first one will be somewhat like an interest flag for you. Basically, your best option is to either ask her about the books she is reading, or try changing the subject to something she is fond of."

"Hm. I don't think I'll be able to recognize the books she is reading, so maybe I'll change the subject."

"Well, being able to talk about the books she is reading will probably be better, but if you can't, then sure!"

"Yosh! Ready to go then!" I go towards the stairs to get up to the third floor.

Fun note... the staircases have 50 steps between each floors. I have to climb 100 steps.

Upon reaching the third floor, I look down at Rena who was sitting at a table watching me. She was signaling me "shoo shoo."

I walk towards Aisha.

"Hi Aisha." I wave towards her.

She looks up and is for some reason very surprised.

"Elsword?" She says it as if she's seen a ghost.

"Uh. Yeah."

"I didn't know you actually enter libraries." Her face basically just tells me what she's thinking. "_Huh, I guess people do change._" I'm not sure whether to take offense to that or not.

"Well, I thought it would be a nice change of pace since we get the day off." I sit on the opposite side of her.

"What are you reading?" I asked smiling.

"Who are you?" Aisha looked at me with suspicion.

"Why are you so conscious about the fact I'm interested in books." I looked back with equal eyes.

"I never took Elsword Sieghart to be someone willing to even have the slightest interests in books."

"I never took Aisha Ryder to be so judgmental and aggressive on someone who actually is."

Aisha keeps staring at me, but then blushes and laughs. I follow suit.

"Well, here." She hands me the book she was reading. I was actually very surprised.

It was a black book with gold engravings on it. It had nothing on it except for the words which were the title of the book.

**Conwell**

"..." I was speechless.

"Quite an interesting read. It was actually released three months ago. Researchers have more or less identified a lot of traits that Conwell has, as well as what it does to its wielder." I look up to see Aisha worried.

"They concluded that Conwell is indeed not of this world. They stated the possibility of it being sent from an alternate dimension." She looked seriously at me.

"Elsword. I don't think it's a good idea to keep Conwell with you." I returned the serious glare.

"Why? I'm fine with Conwell! Nothing bad really happened while I've had him."

"... Him?" Aisha looked sincerely confused.

"Yeah."

_"Yeah." _Conwell simultaneously answered with me.

"Eh?"

"... What was that?"

"What? Conwell?"

"Eh?" Aisha's face froze.

"What are you ta-"

_"Hello fair lady. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. I am Conwell, a lost spirit sword that has been wandering around the galaxy in search of a young boy to valiantly wield me in perilous battles. It just so happens that I chose young Elsword Sieghart here as my master."_

"..."

"Yep, that sounds about right."

_"_..." Aisha was completely shocked.

"Wait... so Conwell is... a spirit?"

"Yeah. He just said so, a spirit in a sword."

"..." Aisha rubs her temples.

"I can't register this in my brain. But assuming he really is a spirit, is what he said is true?"

_"What might you be asking now?"_

"Looking for someone to wield you?"

_"That is correct."_

"Why?"

_"Well, to be frank, it is such a bore to be idling around. Even as just a sword, I'd much rather prefer being used in endless slaughter over being a headstone to a grave. I'd just rather prefer this over being dead."_

Aisha's face turned grave.

_"_Tch. Elsword, you need to get rid of that sword."

"Again, why?"

"Do you really not know what will happen if you wield that sword. Now that I think about it, do you even know what that sword does to your body?"

I completely shut up and looked down.

"Wait, you really do?" Aisha's voice got shaky.

"Why?" She became really quiet.

"Because, I had to."

* * *

_Rena's POV:_

Hm. I wonder what they're talking about now.

I look up at Elsword and Aisha. Their faces were a bit grim.

Huh? What happened? Why does it look so tense?

Aisha looked like she was scolding Elsword for some reason.

Ah... Elsword must've done something ignorant again. I guess there's no helping it.

Wait, who are those two people?

In the corner of my eye, I see two people in dark cloaks walking closer and closer to Elsword and Aisha.

That looks too suspicious.

I try to get out my bow to try and set-up.

Alright, let's see if I can sh-

Darkness

* * *

_Elsword's POV:_

"Aisha. I really am fine. I've been training all this time remember? I'm prepared for what's to come in the future with Conwell."

"There are better ways though. You can be stronger without using that sword."

"That may be true, but how long would it take for me to become _strong?_"

"Why are you so obsessed with being strong?" Aisha was teary.

"It's true, that you were never able to fight well. Everyone belittled you. But you said you didn't care, that all you needed was us right? So why are you hurting yourself like this?"

"Because, I want to be stronger. I want to be able to fight alongside you guys, and even have the strength to protect you all." I loosened up.

"Because, I love all of you guys." Aisha's eyes widened.

"You're all my precious family. So I don't want to be a liability. That's why..." Mid sentence, I see someone behind her with a syringe. I try to get up, but I feel something poke into my neck.

Everything was hazy. My vision was getting blurry and my balance was off. I felt light-headed.

"What..."

_"Elsword! Can you still hear me?"_

"El... wh..."

I couldn't hear Aisha anymore. My vision faded to black. I still had my consciousness though. I can still hear Conwell.

What the hell just happened?


	8. Ch 7: Morals Vs Code

August 27th, 2014. 8:27 pm.

_Elesis's POV:_

Elsword, where are you?

Elsword has been gone the entire day. I haven't found him anywhere around the school. I've checked almost every facility and all the rooms that occupy them. I've checked in with the guards of any entrances and exits. I've asked half the school population, and none of them has seen Elsword. In fact, Rena and Aisha are gone too.

If this is the case… then there's only choice left.

"Elesis Sieghart, Pyro Saber Style, rank 1, requesting immediate search party for Elsword Sieghart, Aisha Ryder, and Rena Parker."

To ask the principal for a search party. However… because the principal has been out for months on his own mission, the vice-principal will fill in.

"Eh? Elsword Sieghart? Your failure of a brother."

I tighten my fists.

"Well… since two other students are missing, it can't be helped."

He grabs the voice com and states…

"Attention, all teachers are to report to the office now. This is an emergency recall to assess the disappearance of Elsword Sieghart, Aisha Ryder, and Rena Parker."

This bastard…

"How lucky Elsword is. To have such an obligated sister such as yourself. So very loyal and brave."

He walks over to me.

"Yes… the fair "Red-haired Knight", whose talents far excels any other and has the fiery passion of a thousand suns." He gestures as if he's acting out some Shakespeare play.

He strokes my hair.

"It would be very fortunate if we were to find Elsword who is hopelessly lost on his own. However… there just isn't enough incentive if we were to find him. There would be for the other two whose families greatly benefit _us._"

I start shaking with anger.

"Ho?"

"I… will put my upmost effort in any required action." I forcefully say.

"If there is anything that you desire sir, then I will be happy to oblige." He smirks and chuckles.

"Really? I suppose there is an incentive to finding our poor young boy!"

I hear the door open behind me.

"Yes… we are all here I presume?"

Ms. Asquith walks up and responds.

"Yes sir, we are ready to take action at any time."

"Good… take Elesis with you, and find the three children."

"Understood. Come along now Ms. Sieghart."

"Thank you very much sir." I bow and slowly walk out with the teachers."

"No… thank you."

*snap*

… … … … … … I swear to god.

Once I have the chance. I will…

* * *

_Raven's POV:_

"Chung!" I ran to Chung as fast as I could once I spotted him.

"Raven." Chung responds back.

"You heard that?" I asked. Chung nods at me.

"Chung, go find Eve and meet me at the front gates." Chung smiles.

"Roger boss!" He salutes me and runs out.

"… Dammit. Rena, please be okay." I pray from the bottom of my heart.

Really… please be okay.

* * *

_Elsword's POV:_

Ugh… what's going on?

_You've been drugged friend._

Drugged?

… Do you happen to know where I am right now?

_Not quite. I am able to perceive the area around us, so I saw the route they took us through, but I do not know what this area actually is._

Well, that's lovely.

I look around to see where Rena and Aisha were. They weren't in the same room as me apparently.

_The other two were taken to another room. It seems they only have real use for you. The girls are just a "back-up plan"._

A back-up plan?

_Well first, they said something about "enjoying their plentiful bounty," and then if something were to happen, they could use them as hostages._

My eyes grew wide. I felt really hot.

_Wait, partner. Calm down. Don't get angry. If you do, you'll—_

"Hello there, Elsword."

I look towards the voice to the left of me and see someone.

This guy… was twisted.

He wore a black suit with purple linings and a purple crystal on his chest. Floating around him were these strange metallic plates. He had white hair that had a shade of purple and his face. His face had a little pinkish red lining running down his eye, his red pupil and dark black sclera.

"Who are you?"

He laughs. He walks over close to me and looks me close in the eye.

"Death."

"What?"

"Don't worry, I've heard you're not very educated. So I'll say this as simple and slowly as possible."

"I. Am. Here. To. Kill. You. That. Is. All. You. Need. To. Know." My eyes widened gradually ever word he said.

He laughs, but a lot more vigorously, as if maniacal.

"Oh. But I think it would be best to "play" for a while, right?"

"What?" I grew really sick after he said that. I feared for the worst.

"Hey, bozos, get over here with "them"."

After saying so, a bunch of men came with Aisha and Rena. Their clothes were torn everywhere. Rena's bra was almost torn off while Aisha's was gone. I can see blood dripping from many different places.

**Author's Notes: No. Not from "that" place, just saying…**

"Aisha! Rena!" I shouted. They didn't respond.

"What did you do to them?" I scowl at the purple man.

"Not much… yet." He gives me this large disgusting smile.

"Don't worry Elsword. You can at least look, so it's all fine, right?" He walks over to Aisha.

"Look, isn't this the one you like the most? Because she's so beautiful and smells nice right?" I blush. I can't actually fight back because that's exactly what I think. But I look at Aisha who has a really scary face on right now.

"Get off me you perverted freak!" Aisha screams very loud in his ear.

"Ahahahah! A feisty one huh?" He puts one finger on Aisha's lips.

"No worries. The rougher they are, the better the hunt." He strokes down to her chest, and then…

"Oh don't worry, Ms. Elf Lover."

Rena jumps a little. Elf Lover?

"I'll make sure you have plenty of fun to, before I experiment some more." Rena's eyes were submissive.

He starts touching her the same way. Aisha was squirming everywhere, trying to fight back, as Rena was completely motionless…

Helpless, weak, as I sit watching this, something in my chest was burning. Something felt wrong. Watching this guy touch Aisha and Rena, I don't know how to describe it, but I felt like something was slipping.

_Elsword. Do you want power?_

…

_Do you want the power to be able to stop this?_

What… now you're egging me on?

_That was before, this is now. Choose now, do you want power Elsword? _

…

_As my master, I am obligated to protect you at all costs, but the cost will only affect you Elsword. You already know this… but are you willing to go through with this?_

… No.

_?_

I don't want power.

I NEED IT!

"Hey! Isn't this a nice view El…sword?"

I…

"Ho…?"

Will…

"I see… so now you'll show me."

I…

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA."

Will…

"ALRIGHT, SHOW ME! SHOW ME THE POWER OF THE MAN SLAUGHTERER, CONWELL!"

MURDER YOU.

* * *

_Rena's POV:_

What?

Elsword's body was engulfed in a dark aura. His body was steaming. I couldn't see his face. But, this didn't feel good.

"ALRIGHT, SHOW ME! SHOW ME THE POWER OF THE MAN SLAUGHTERER, CONWELL!"

What? Man Slaughterer?

"_MURDER YOU._"

I hear a loud voice. It sounded like Elsword, except it was distorted in with someone… or something else's voice.

His body was covered by a dark aura that completely reeked of death. The guys holding us back were shaking with fear.

After a few seconds, Elsword's body was visible again. Except, it changed. His hair-style was different, it was spikier and longer with black roots. He had a necklace in the shape of a sword. He was wearing a black sleeveless vest with red and black markings on it. His pants were plated with metal and he had a belt with even more platings. In his hands were two swords. A Great Sword, and a strange black and red short sword.

"Elsword?" Aisha asked in a shaky voice.

"Now, let us celebrate the upcoming of the—"Before he could finish, I hear an ear-screeching scream.

The guy holding Aisha had his arm cleanly cut off. It was burning black rather than bleeding.

Aisha fell to the ground.

The guy holding me let go and tried to run away. However, the moment he turned back, a sword immediately stabbed him in the stomach.

"What the hell is going on?" The guy holding Aisha was still alive, but he was crawling in agony. A sword appeared and completely cut the man in half. It was a clean cut, not even letting the organs spill out of the body. Small drips of blood puddled out of the body.

"Hey Elsword, you don't hate me do you? I mean, I just wanted to help you on your case? You really like that girl right? So… wouldn't it be great if you got to check out her body?" He was shrugging and making suggestive gestures.

Elsword said nothing and attacked him. He tossed out random slashes, but each held immense power as it created small quakes in the air. The purple man just kept deflecting them by somehow distorting the air around him.

"Oi oi, is this all you can do? Isn't this just…" Elsword froze before he said the next word.

"Weak?" Elsword flinched and slammed down on the ground.

"SHUT UP! I… am strong. I'll protect my friends, and I'll prove it!" Elsword dashed forward and was able to stab the purple man… or so it seemed.

The purple man faded backwards even when the swords appeared to have stabbed through.

"MORE, SHOW ME MORE OF YOUR INSANITY!" The purple man laughed more and smiled.

No… this isn't Elsword. Elsword wouldn't fight like this. He wouldn't want to kill people…

That sword. Don't tell me, it's corrupting him? I have to snap him out of it. But how?

I look over at Aisha

"Hey, we have to stop him!" Aisha looked back at me.

"What can we do? Elsword is completely insane right now and he is just going on a rampage right now. It's too risky to try anything." Aisha tried to convince me to do nothing.

"But we can't just sit here and watch Elsword fight like this. It isn't right!"

"Rena, I know that, that's why we need to get out of here and contact the school."

"How long would that take?" I asked almost as if pleading.

"It's our best bet." Aisha was dead serious. She really thought that was our only option…

But, I know there is another option…

If he can't snap out of it by himself like this, then he just needs support.

"Fine, you go with your option. I'll go with mine."

I got up and did what I honestly thought was best.

* * *

_Elsword's POV:_

I… murdered them. I actually murdered them.

…

Is this really the exchange for greater power?

_Yes._

… Why… Why is this happening?

_Because you wished for it._

I…

_You know, I'm beginning to see why your sister went out of her way to give me to you._

What?

_Hm… that will be a story for another time._

Is there really another time for me? After this, I'll probably be executed.

_Ho? Why is that?_

Murder is forbidden within this country. It's been banned ever since the world finally met peace eight years ago. If anyone is caught murdering another, without excuse, they are executed.

_Whoa. Well that's rough._

…

_But… I highly doubt anyone will really blame you here._

Don't give me that crap, I mercilessly killed two people out of my own will basically. I am to blame here.

_Yes, but is that what everyone would think?_

What?

_What about your friends?_

...!

_Most importantly… what about that green haired girl named Rena?_

Rena…?

I feel something wrapped around me. I regained consciousness again and turned around to see Rena was hugging me.

"Hey! I hear something coming from here!" A man yelled out. It came from the outside.

"What are you doing? Get off of him!" The purple man shouted at me.

"Elsword, please stop this. This isn't like you." I tried to plead with Elsword to calm down.

"Rena… I."

I drop both swords and hugged Rena.

"Rena…" I hear Aisha just a bit in front of me.

"Hey! I hear something from this cave!"

"Tch… looks like the fun is over." I look over to the purple man and see his head hanging low.

"AHHH OH WELL. I hope you guys have fun "cleaning up the mass." He gestures around him the two dead bodies.

"You bastard." I cursed him.

"Well… I'll make my leave." At the snap of a finger, something cracked and what appeared next to him was a hole fit for his size.

"Stay healthy, Dark Knight." He smiles at me and sticks his tongue out.

He enters the hole and immediately it closes up.

"Dark Knight? What did he mean by that?" Rena asked…

…

"Elsword?" Rena looked at me.

Why am I always put in these situations... Since I'm finally thinking again, I realize that, Aisha and Rena are almost bare.

I turn away blushing when I realize this. Doing this probably made them realize too...

I hear both of them shrieking and covering themselves.

"Well... at least he looks normal again."

I couldn't hear Rena clearly, she was mumbling something.

"Elsword!" I hear Elesis voice.

"Elesis? What are you doing here?" I asked completely surprised.

"Don't give me that you idiot!" She seemd extremely furious!

I close my eyes ready for the worst, but instead I feel warmth.

Elesis was hugging me.

_*whistle* quite the ladies' man aren't we?_

Oh shut up.

"You had me worried sick." Elesis voice was shaky.

"I'm sorry big sister." I hug her and pat her back.

"Elsword Sieghart, Aisha Ryder, and Rena Parker, correct?" Ms. Asquith walked up to us.

"Um. Yes?" I asked confused, considering she already knew who we were because we were in her class.

"*Sigh* really, getting into trouble. You're my student, so you should really be more cautious of your situation." She says exhausted, but smiles at the end.

"Yeah." I responded.

"Elsword Sieghart, you are under arrest for the account of murder and stealing of the sealed sword Conwell." My eyes widened. Some old man was standing there in front of me. My sister turned quickly and glared at him.

"Vice principal Zod, what is the meaning of this?" Elesis's tone had killer intent in it.

"What do you mean, my fair knight? It is quite evident that Mr. Sieghart enacted a taboo sin that has long since been forbidden. He has murdered. Not only that, he stole a most dangerous weapon. God knows what that boy could do to the world with such a sword. He already murdered two people."

"That's non-sense! Even if he did it, that's no reason to just blindly arrest him for doing what was right!" Elesis started to get emotional.

"Oh, so you are saying murder is the only way to take care of conflict when they arise? Murder? Elesis, as a proud knight and our star student at El High, SURELY you value the safety and peace of everyone. And, if you do, you must realize that one who voluntarily murders, no matter what the circumstance, is by law committing a crime and a sin. He must be taken in immediately."

Elesis was grinding her teeth and her hands were bleeding.

"That's crazy! Elsword was just trying to save us. There's nothing wrong with that is there?" Aisha retorted.

"That's right. It's also our fault for getting caught. If we weren't here, Elsword wouldn't have had to… to murder those two." Rena tried to help.

"Sir, I think we should listen to what these kid's have to say. We may be misunderstanding or letting an important fact slip by here." Ms. Asquith tried to defend us as well.

"So we should just let this slide? Let the fact that a boy with a temper issue and a deadly sword slide? Is that it? Blasphemy! Don't give me such delusional ideas! I am doing what is best for this school and this country, and that is to lock this boy up now!" The vice principal was arguing in a calm, yet angry fashion.

"Honestly… why do you all care for such tra—"

Elesis stepped forward with force.

"DON'T –"

"Elesis!" I shouted before she could finish. She looked back surprised.

"It's fine. You've done enough already."

"Elsword… but. You." Elesis was on the verge of crying.

"It's fine. It's not like I'll be arrested forever right? I'll bet you I'll be out in no time… so please, don't be angry like this Elesis. You two as well." I smile to try to calm them down.

Elesis looks down and starts shaking.

Rena and Aisha both slowly nod at me.

"… Ahem, now then, Elesis, please do the honors." He snaps his fingers and someone brings him hand cuffs.

"… As you wish." She slowly grabbed the hand cuffs and placed them on me.

She holds my hands and rubs them gently.

"Really, stop worrying Elesis. Everything is fine, okay? Gosh, who's the little crybaby now?" I chuckle a little to try and lift her spirits.

She nods at me.

"Yeah, you're right." She slightly smiles at me.

Off the side, I see the vice principal walk out.

* * *

_Raven's POV:_

The vice principal?

I see him walking to the side of the entrance of the cave. He seemed to be talking to a teacher.

"Eve, can you send one of your drones to let us hear in what they're saying?"

"Roger." Eve responds in a monotone voice and sends out a drone.

Once it gets there, it plants itself so it won't be spotted. I watch the two talk.

"What are they saying?" I look over at Eve and she was shocked.

"What's wrong?" Chung asked worried.

"Those two…" She paused.

"What is it?" I asked, impatient.

"They are going to execute Elsword in front of the school at the Coliseum."

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"Wait, execute Elsword? Why?" Chung was mad.

"He seems to have murdered two people." Both Chung and I were taken aback.

"Don't tell me…" I think I know.

"He must've given into the sword at one point. Right now it seems fine, I don't sense any negative emotions, but the aftermath is still that he murdered two people."

… Elsword.

"There must be something we can do to get him out of it!" Chung said hastily.

"… But what can we do?" I asked.

"True. The percent chance of us getting Elsword out of this is 0.01%. There is no way to convince the authorities to let this event pass as it is the first murder in eight years. Also, now that the fact that Elsword has obtained Conwell is leaked, more drastic measures will be taken. Their decision to execute him was inevitable. As of now, the only option we have is to get Elsword out of this continent and start out somewhere else." Eve gave a long reasoning.

"Start out somewhere else?" I couldn't really believe what I was hearing.

"That plan has a 0.16% chance of succeeding."

"Dammit." I punch the ground.

"… All we can do now is wait then." Chung had determination in his eyes.

"Chung, you aren't seriously going to…" I start asking him, but I can see his response in his eyes.

"Alright then… I'm with you." I responded patting his shoulder.

"I will join too." Eve puts her hand on Chung's shoulder. Chung jumps a little.

"But, what about your studies?" Chung asked.

"My family takes priority." Eve smiles at both of us.

"… Alright. As soon as Rena and Aisha are back at school, we'll devise a plan then." Chung stands up acting confident.

"Hm. So who made you king?" I playfully said.

"Ngh…" Chung blushed.

"We should go now then…" Eve started walking away.

Chung and I follow her. I look back to see Elsword, Elesis, Rena, and Aisha walking out with teachers surrounding them.

… I really hope things will be fine…

* * *

**Author's Notes: Brace yourselves my friend, the next chapter will be a bit longer than usual as they will be my little "climax" for this little part of my story. However, it shouldn't take longer than two days to get the next chapter up.**

**Slight Spoiler Alert: **

**After the next chapter, I will heavily water down the "Romance Mystery" and completely lock in the relationships and enter in basically a new Arc if you will. I hope you all enjoy this first Arc and look forward to the next.**

**Real Spoiler Alert: **

**If you REALLY must know, then yes, yes I did add in something… I added something. Because I wanted Add something.**


	9. Ch 8: Elsword's Beginning

Saturday, August 30th, 2014. 6:45 am.

_Elsword's POV:_

…

_Ah. Quite the predicament you're in._

Don't you mean us?

_True…_

I was handcuffed inside a room with no windows, doors, holes, creases, nothing. It was completely empty while I sat there. It's been three days since the incident occurred. Right now, I don't know what's happening around the school and what everyone has been doing.

_Well, look on the bright side, maybe at this point Aisha will give her love to you!_

… Why the hell do you have to crack jokes now?

_I'm actually serious. But to be completely serious, maybe you'll see your true love soon._

Wait, what?

I hear a rippling sound in front of me. A rune appears on the ground and a small figure arrives. I see Aisha in front of me.

"Aisha?" I asked surprised.

"Hi Elsword. Long time no see." She looked depressed.

"What's up?" I tried to act casual, despite not seeing her for three days.

"Nothing much." She tried to act casual as well.

We both sat there saying nothing to each other, from time to time meeting each other's eyes but immediately looking away blushing.

I tried smiling at her, but her face turned a little pale.

"Hey Elsword?" She asked meekly.

"Yeah?"

"Remember how you told me you loved me a while back?" She was being bashful about it.

Wait… don't tell me. She's?

_Oh boy._

"Uh. Yeah."

"Elsword. I'm sorry."

"Eh?" I had disbelief.

"You're a nice guy, and I really do love you. But, only as maybe a sibling." Aisha tried to be as nice about it as she could, but my heart kept prickling away.

"Yes… as siblings. Like how you and Elesis are. That's why, I want to help you." She looked up with determination in her eyes.

"Elsword?" I was already down with my head on ground.

"Ah… that's right. No way you would like a guy like me right? Ahahaha…" I guess I shouldn't have even confessed in the first place. This hurts like crazy!

"Elsword, we're going to run away." Aisha seemed to ignore my depression.

"Eh?"

Silence…

"EH? Wait, run away? But, you just said… and now we're gonna elope?" I squirm around freaking out.

Aisha was beet red.

"No you idiot! I meant run away from this continent where no one will know you and you can start fresh! Everyone else will be with us too!" Aisha shouted quickly.

"Oh…" I look down a little disappointed.

Although, I guess I'm already trying to run away from reality here.

"But yeah, Chung, Raven, Eve, and I all decided that it's best that we all run from here. This place is too corrupted."

"Wait, what about Rena and Elesis?" I asked curious.

"I… we don't know where Rena is right. After that incident, she just disappeared once we returned to the school. Of course, we're going to find her before we escape, but that might take a while." Aisha trailed off.

"Elesis… is under tight security. They suspect that she might go berserk and try to save you."

"In any event… I'm not leaving." Aisha's eyes widened at me.

"What? Why not?" Aisha seemed scared.

"I mean, there isn't any reason to escape right? I'll be released soon, right?" I felt sick.

"As I thought, you don't know do you?" Aisha looked down.

"No…" I feared for the worst.

"They plan to execute you today Elsword. In front of the entire student body in the coliseum. It starts at 12:00 pm. In around four hours."

I couldn't believe it. Although I already knew what would happen, I just couldn't believe it at all.

Heh… I guess I was being too optimistic. But I was right all along, the only punishment for a murderer like me is execution…

_Oi oi, don't take it so lightly, I'm going to be executed along with you._

What?

_If you die, I die as well. That's part of our contract Elsword._

Well, there isn't anything we can do about it now…

_What about escaping?_

"What about escaping Elsword?" Aisha asked one more time giving me a sad smile.

"No." I answered.

"Why?" Aisha was being more forceful this time.

"I've already caused enough trouble for you guys. I screwed up big, so I have to face my punishment."

"Don't give me that crap!" Aisha got very mad. This is probably the first time she's yelled at me so seriouisly.

"Why. Why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you degrading yourself always and accepting it all? Why can't you get angry at the people who mock you? Why don't you show any emotions? All you've done your whole life was get ridiculed and laugh about it. You laugh about it, and then end up crying later on. How can you even bear that burden?" Aisha was trying her best not to cry, but she lashed intensely at me.

"I just want the seven of us to be together. I don't want anyone to leave… I don't want to lose anyone precious anymore Elsword." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Aisha…" I look down, not able to say anything after that.

Moments later, another rippling sound came and another person appeared in front of me. It was Ms. Asquith.

"Elsword Sieghart." She said sternly, just like the first day of school.

"Yes Ma'am?" I answered respectful this time.

"It has been decided now that you will be executed at 5:30 pm today. We must prepare for this and have you come to the coliseum. Please follow me." She signals behind her.

"… Yes Ma'am."

I look down at Aisha who was motionless.

"You come along as well Ms. Ryder. Your parents are here."

Aisha's eyes had a small tint in them, but she didn't react.

Somehow, I felt really pathetic.

* * *

Saturday, August 30th, 2014. 9:45 am.

_Chung's POV:_

"What's taking Aisha so long?" Raven was tapping his foot getting impatient.

"I don't know, she should be back by now." I had my arms crossed waiting.

"Oh. There she is."

Eve points out Aisha who was walking very slowly aimlessly.

"Oh no…" I run up to Aisha.

"Aisha, what happened?" I grab a hold of her.

"Elsword said no." Raven and Eve caught up.

"What did you say?" Raven was shocked, as was I.

"Elsword said he's going to accept his punishment." Aisha's eyes were completely void of any emotions.

"You have to be kidding me." Raven started getting angry.

"Calm down Raven. Aisha, did he say anything other than that, or maybe why he doesn't want to escape?"

"He says that he's caused too much trouble for us, so he's going to just accept the punishment."

"What the hell? What's wrong with that kid! I swear to god, he's going to get out of here, and after he does, I'm going to—"

"_Attention all students. Please change into your uniforms and head straight to the coliseum. An important event is about to take place. All students are required to attend, no excuses or exceptions."_

"Oh no, it starts in two hours." I start to panic.

"What are we going to do?" I ask.

"We bust him out by force." Eve answered calmly.

"What?" Raven, Aisha, and I all look at Eve surprised.

"If Elsword won't willingly come, we will just have to get him out when he is out in the coliseum. That is our only choice for now."

"But, I thought you said there was a low chance of success?" Raven smirked a little.

"Yes, but that is still greater than 0%, which means it is still possible." Eve smirked back.

"You guys…" Aisha closed her eyes and opened them back with more life in them.

"Alright, let's get that hot head out of this place and teach him a lesson he'll never forget!" She puts her fist out.

"Right!" I place mine out as well.

Everyone else follows.

"We're going to have to make a plan though. So we don't just blindly run in different areas." I said.

"Eve?" I look at her, but…

"I have already made the necessary preparations." She pulls out a map of the school.

"Alright… here's what we're going to do." Aisha fills us in on her strategy.

* * *

_Elesis's POV:_

"_All students are required to attend, no excuses or exceptions."_

"It looks like it's time my dear." This disgusting voice…

"…"

"Come along dear, we have to get you outfitted appropriately. We can't have you go out doing such an important task without donning your armor, can we?" Won't just…

"…"

"Come now, I'll dress you if you can't do it yourself." SHUT UP.

"I'm fine."

I get up and change into my regular outfit I always wear before going out on a mission.

I grab my sheathed pyro sword and standby.

He chuckles.

"This way." He signals to the door. I walk over in front of him.

"You know, a woman such as yourself wearing an armor truly of glory…" He slurps his tongue.

"Is just so delectable." He puts his hand behind me. I flinch, but continue to walk forward.

A bunch of guards escort us.

"What time is it now?" He asks one of the guards.

"It is now 11:45 am."

"Ahh… 15 minutes left."

15 minutes… until it's time.

"We're here Elesis." I look up, and see that we were indeed at the coliseum.

All of the students were sitting in their seats, awaiting the event that was about to unfold in front of them.

Yes… this unforgettable event. I'll make sure to carve it into their very eyes.

I'll show them a real "Red-haired Knight."

* * *

_Elsword's POV:_

"Get a move on!"

A guard was shoving me with a spear, pushing with the shaft. I walked into the middle of the coliseum. Everyone started whispering and already sending around rumors.

"Hey, isn't that Elesis's younger brother?"

"Yeah! Elsword right?"

"Why is he there?"

"I heard he did something bad a while back."

"I think he actually murdered two people."

"What? He murdered people?"

"He's insane!"

Well… they weren't entirely wrong.

The guards had me sit on my knees and this time, they had separate chains for my hands so they can hold each of them. This way, they can do a clean cut on me.

I look around to see if Chung and the others were in the stands. They were, except for Rena and Elesis. It seems everyone finally wore their uniforms. We didn't have to wear them in school, they were only for when we were sent on missions, especially ones where we'd have to fight.

Since this was my last time to see them, I kind of engraved their images into my brain.

Chung still had his destroyer on him, having a face on one end and a cannon opening on the other end. He had a white suit of armor with blue crystals on his chest, ankle, stomach, and arms. He had large white gauntlets on and on his shoulder was black fur. And in this outfit, he actually looks like a girl because of his hair… Okay then.

Raven had a complete black outfit. Black shirt with a wide v line to show his chest and a black belt. He had black pants with long black boots. Instead of his smaller gauntlet, he has his specially enhanced robotic arm on his left hand and a black blade on his waist.

Eve's outfit was a white dress with long white boots that went up to her thigh. It had a blue gem at her feet and red lining at the top. Her dress was also decorated with blue gems on her waist and her chest. She had white sleeves not attached to her dress with ring bracelets. She wore a white headband with a white flower. Finally, she had her two robots flying around her in circles. As always, her ember eyes had no particular expression on her… kind of hurts here though.

Aisha had a purple shirt with a white skirt and purple pleats on them. Dark boots with white knee socks. Her sleeves ran all the way to her black fingerless gloves. She had a gold hairpin with gold ribbons on her shoulders. She had her white and black staff with her as well.

"Hello there…" Someone got close behind me.

"Murderer." He whispered silently into my ear. I flinch.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Vice Principal Zod." I answer back.

Vice Principal Zod, a middle-aged man with a beige suit on. He wore black gloves and black dress shoes on. He had long black hair with a monocle on his left eye. He had a walking stick with him for reasons no one seems to really know about. Just your typical snobby nobleman.

I see Elesis next to him.

Elesis also donned her armor as well. A red dress with a white metal breastplate. It exposed her shoulder and scapula. She had a red cloak behind on her dress and a small black and white skirt. Tight white knee socks and white and red metal boots. Like me, she had a rune marking on the back of her gloves. Her hair was tied in a braid with a bun and a yellow ribbon. She had her red claymore on her back.

"Since we're all gathered here, why don't we begin?" Zod smirks.

"Proud students of El High. We are gathered here under great importance. It seems that one of your fellow mate here has enacted not only theft, but murder."

The crowd gasps in surprise… it was almost comical. Or maybe that's just because I'm the one in trouble here.

"Now, these two things are not only criminal acts, they have been long forbidden, banned, regarded as taboo sins no noble person should commit. However, Elsword Sieghart has done it of his own will without hesitation." Zod gestures around, trying his best to "express his emotions" with the students.

"For such a sin, there is but one option left for him so that we may relieve his soul of such dirtiness, such filth, such disgrace. Surely, the renowned Sieghart family wouldn't ever accept such treason." He put heavy emphasize on Sieghart and treason.

"Elsword Sieghart is hereby sentenced to death. And his executioner will be none other than one of his family members, Elesis Sieghart, our fair "Red-haired Knight"."

I felt a pain in my heart, but at the same time I also felt relief. This seemed to be a fitting end for me. Have my own sister bring me down so I can rest in peace. That doesn't sound so bad.

"Now, we will begin the execution! Elesis, if you would do the honors!" He signals to Elesis.

Elesis proceeds to draw out her blade. She walks up close to me. The two guards pull on the chains and have me stand up.

* * *

_Raven's POV:_

"Alright guys, are you ready?" I asked Chung and Eve.

"Ready." Chung quietly says, but Eve doesn't respond.

"Eve?" I asked her, but she silenced me.

"Wait."

"What, why?" Chung asked hastily.

"Just watch for now." Eve didn't take her eyes away.

I listened to her and waited. Chung did the same.

Elesis had her sword drawn out, but she didn't move an inch after doing so. Everyone was confused and wondering what was happening. One of the guards put his hand on Elesis's shoulder… and something I thought I would never see occurred.

* * *

_Elsword's POV:_

"You know, at least it's nice… to have my big sister finish me off."

"…"

"At least it wasn't someone else. I feel kind of relieved."

"…"

"Elesis?" I asked her. She wasn't moving.

One of the guards put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, are you going to do it or no… not?" Elesis put her left hand on his chest.

"Elesis, wait. DON'T!" I shouted.

"_Explosive Fist"_

She engulfed her hand in flames and pushed the guard back. After some distance, the guard exploded in flames.

"AHHHHHH." The coliseum filled with screaming and yelling. Everyone was gasping and surprised at what Elesis did.

The guard ran around for a bit and slowed down as the flames burned him. Eventually the flames died out and the guard was still breathing, but he was severely burned.

"What are you doing?" More guards went in to restrain Elesis. But it was no use.

She took a low stance with her claymore to her side as if sheathed. She swung in a perfect arc and the guards who were within arm's length of her were immediately pushed back by the sheer force of her swing.

"Elesis! What are you doing?" Zod questioned her fiercely.

"I'm sorry Vice Principal Zod, but it seems your "fair Knight" cannot oblige with you. Therefore, in compensation, I'll show everyone a greater event. Far greater than you can imagine. I'll show them the true meaning of "Red-haired Knight"". As soon as she finished saying that, a guard jumped up to attack her.

She pierced her blade effortlessly through the guard's left ribcage. A gush of blood came out from the gash and the guard's mouth. She swung upwards and tossed the guard far to the side. At this feat, the guards holding my chains ran off.

"Elsword. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." Elesis turned towards me with a gentle expression. She leaned towards me.

"Here. Let your big sister take off these chains for you, they must be painful right?"

She reached out her left hand.

*_Slash*_

The very next moment, I saw a hand fly off. My eyes widened and I was left speechless. Elesis's eyes reacted slowly, but her eyes filled with shock, and then slowly with fury.

I watched as her severed forearm fell to the ground. I look back at Elesis who was bleeding.

"…" Elesis stood there frozen.

"That is quite enough Elesis." Zod walked up from Elesis's left side. He apparently shot out something to cut her forearm off.

"This, is treason beyond anyone's imagination! The star student, the masterpiece, the Magnus Opus of this school, turning on her own family!"

"Don't fuck with me you dirty pig." Elesis's voice turned very dark.

"What was that?" Zod was taken aback.

"Who's my family? As far as I'm concerned, Elsword is my only family, no one else. And you've shown my brother something unsightly." She rose her blade up at Vice Principal Zod.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Elesis charged forward. She swung at him, but there was a strong barrier around him. She recoiled back.

"Such a shame. A wonderful knight like you shouldn't be acting like this. But since you are… I think we need to reform you." He waved his stick around and runes appeared at the spot Elesis was landing."

"Elesis, get out of the way!" She looked down, but was too late.

Her body started shaking violently. She slowly fell down to the ground.

A gravity field.

"God dammit!" Elesis tried to get up, but she couldn't fight back against the magic.

"Now, you stay there while I do the execution then. Later, we can have a long nice talk about what to do with you then. Okay sweetheart?" Zod had a satisfied grin on his face.

"You… can go to hell." Elesis was able to get up on her knees, but I can hear her bones cracking.

"Elesis, stop it! You're going to die if you keep trying!" I pleaded with her, but she continued to rise.

"I don't care." Her voice was raspy.

"As long… as you're alive. I don't care." Her eyes lusted for blood. For Zod's blood.

"I'll kill him. I'll kill everyone against you. I will never let anyone harm you." Her skin started to tear off of her.

Zod took up one of the guard's swords and walked up to me.

"*Sigh* so much trouble for a little brat like you. Honestly, why were you born?" He looked at me with complete dread. There was no emotion in his eyes. Only darkness.

"DON'T YOU DARE DO IT! IF YOU DO, I SWEAR I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET LIVING!" Elesis got more and more desparate.

"Well then, good-bye." I closed my eyes, ready to embrace death.

_It's not over yet you know._

What do you mean? There is a blade swinging at me. There's no way I'm going to survive that.

_True… by yourself that is._

*_Clash*_

I opened my eyes to see a small white blade blocking Zod's attack.

"You…" In front of me, I see long flowing green hair with black fabrics and strings around it. A white blade with a golden hilt. Black gloves with grey plating. Black sleeves that went up to her shoulder. Black knee socks and plated boots. She was barely wearing anything. Small black shorts with a green and brown belt and black bra like piece of cloth with green plating. This girl was…

"Rena?"

She pushed back Zod a great length.

"Ah. There you are. I thought it was strange how you weren't anywhere near."

"Yes. I am here Vice Principal Zod." She pointed her blade at him.

"And, I won't let you kill Elsword."

"Ho… quite the announcement here. You do realize, that along with Elesis, you are committing treason against your country? Making an enemy of El High is not a pretty thing I'll have you know." He looked confident.

"Well, that's a shame then. It would be sad to see a country fall after many prosperous years." Rena smirked back with even greater confidence.

"Tch. You bitch." Zod was losing it.

He shot out an orb of black magic at Rena.

"This energy… it can't be?" Elesis was afraid for some reason.

"_Evoke"_ Rena slashes downward and shoots out a small sphere of wind. It collides with the other orb and explodes creating a small torrent of wind.

The attack was negated. Rena didn't move at all though. Not at all…

"Rena?" I asked her, wondering why she wasn't even moving an inch. I looked at her closely, and saw small blood marks around her entire body.

"Don't worry. I'm fine Elsword. Just a few scratches." She gets out her bow and gathers some arrows.

"_Shooting Magnum"_Rena shot out four rapid arrows at Zod. They all get absorbed by his barrier.

Zod places his hand on the ground and a large dark javelin appears above him. It shoots out straight at Rena. Rena stood there motionless. She wasn't scared.

"_Reflective Kick"_ She does a somersault and a wave comes out. It reflects the javelin back towards Zod. Zod jumps out of the way and lets the javelin go across the coliseum towards the wall. It dissipates upon piercing the wall.

"So, your fancy barrier can't deal with your attacks?" Rena asked.

"Unfortunate for both of us, isn't it? I don't think you'll be breaking through anytime however."

"We'll see about that." Rena didn't look amused at all.

"You presumptuous child." Zod quickly closes in on Rena and makes an arc movement sideways.

Rena gets in a defensive stance and holds up her blade.

Two blades seem to clash. Zod's was invisible, so it is hard to actually see what the angle was. Rena jumps back closer to me and quickly shoots out arrows at Zod. Zod sidesteps them and charges forward at Rena.

"_Thorned Vine Trap" _Rena shoots out a small seed onto the ground that sprouted out into a thorny long vine in front of her. It latched onto Zod's ankle and he was immobile.

"Quite unfortunate." Rena mocks Zod.

"Now then." Rena walks up to Zod and jabs long arrows down to restrict his movement. He grunts for each arrow.

"If you would be a gentleman and sit tight over there." Rena turns her back on him and walks towards me.

"Dammit!" Zod struggles to get out of the trap Rena set up.

"Rena. What happened to you?" I was referring to Rena's strange clothing and her demeanor.

She turned towards me with a bright smile.

"R-Rena?" I blushed a bit.

"It's over now. You won't die now Elsword." She slowly broke off the chains. I rub my wrists for a bit.

I look up at Rena and she is still smiling whole-heartedly at me. I couldn't help but smile a little, but behind Rena was a glow.

"Rena, behind you!" Rena's eyes widened.

Rena reacted too slowly and a javelin pierced her left shoulder. She dropped her left bow and her arm left hanging. She held her left shoulder with her right hand and looks back.

"I may not be able to walk, but I can still use spells you know!" Zod went crazy.

"I was careless." Rena kneeled down.

"One more!" Zod gathered energy for another javelin. Rena looked up and smiled.

"Well. Time's up." Rena closed her eyes and leaned on me.

"Wait, what do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Feel divine punishment!" The javelin shot out, but with much more force this time.

"_Defend"_ Chung jumped in front of Rena and completely blocked the javelin. It shattered into small fragments when it made contact with Chung's destroyer. He was in his berserker state.

"Elesis, are you okay?" Aisha ran over to Elesis who was at this point laying down, but free from the gravity field.

"I'm fine…" Although, I pray that was true. She lost a lot of blood and some of her skin was barely attached to her body still.

"Dammit, where are the guards?" Zod yelled.

"I'm sorry, but your guards won't be coming anytime soon." Raven walks up and points to the pile of guards near the entrance to the coliseum.

"You… insolent little brats! How dare you defy me? The vice principal of one of the most glorious schools to have ever existed? Do you know what this means? You are waging war against the entire continent! Do you honestly think you will all get away with this?" Zod was fuming.

"Yes. I honestly think we will." Eve walked up and hugged me by my neck.

"Eh?" I got a little embarrassed as she was really close to me. Especially her chest.

"E-E-Eve! What are you doing?" Aisha was blushing mad and panicking.

"Hey! Get off of him Eve!" Rena was being bashful as well.

"Why?" Eve tilted her head.

"Ms. Rysenir, no flirting on school grounds if you would please." Ms. Asquith walked behind Eve and chopped her head.

"Ouch." Eve monotonously reacted rubbing her head.

"What are you going on about now?" Zod questioned Eve.

"Because, you're not the one to decide things, are you?" Eve answered, completely emotionless.

"I am the Vice Principal, of course I make the decisions here!"

"Then, what about Principal Xerath?" Ms. Asquith answered, revealing a small grin.

"What about Principal Xerath?" He shouted out at first, but then he turned pale extremely quick.

"Oh, I do wonder. What about Principal Xerath?" I heard an old soft voice come from behind. The footsteps got closer and closer and eventually passed by me.

"Why don't we discuss that, right now? Great timing! Considering the entire student body is gathered around." He softly smiled.

When I look at him, for some reason, there's an intense aura about him.

"P-P-Principal Xerath! What a surprise. Back so early from your mission? How did it go?" Zod was sweating a ton.

"Ah. Yes. It was wonderful. It went without any problems in the end." He responded with content.

"Oh. That's good then. Yes very good indeed!"

"Yes. But it seems that things here have not been running smoothly at all."

"Correct sir. It seems that one of our beloved staff members has had power gone over their head just a little bit." Ms. Asquith responded to the old man.

"But sir! This child. He committed treason, a deadly sin that should be punished accordingly!" Zod tried to convince them.

"Yes… and he shall be punished accordingly." The old man turned to me and looked straight into my eyes.

"Stand up young boy." He asked me politely.

"Uh." I stood up and put both arms on my side."

"So you are the young Elsword Sieghart who now wields Conwell, correct?"

"Yes." I answered.

"Would you be so kind as to show me this sword?"

I hesitated, wondering what he would do, and also I don't have much experience using Conwell. I tried to remember what it was like before.

_*Yawn* I have to come out now? Lame._

Oh shut up and get out here already.

I hold out my left hand and Conwell appears. A white short sword with a red line down the middle of it engraved with gold markings.

"Ho!" The old man was very interested.

He observed closely and walked around me. My body stiffened.

He made one full revolution around and stood directly in front of me.

"Now then, would you please strike me with that sword?" I was taken aback.

Everyone else reacted the same way, except for Eve who still showed no emotions.

"Me? Strike you?"

"Yes, that is what I asked."

I didn't understand what was happening. First, I was near death, then Elesis gets heavily injured, Rena appears out of nowhere with a strange appearance, Chung, Aisha, and Raven join up, and now this old geezer comes with Ms. Asquith, telling me to swing at him?

An old geezer who was very wrinkly and small with a cane at hand. It was an older wooden stick compared to Zod's slick black cane. But his eyes showed something different.

_Elsword. Go._

What?

_Swing. This is for real._

What are you talking about? An old geezer just tells me to swing at him and I'm supposed to listen? That's crazy talk!

_Yes. But if you haven't noticed, this isn't any ordinary old man. Elsword, swing with all your might._

"Dammit, to heck with it!" I take Conwell with both hands and start an arc motion. I stop before I swing down. I look into his eyes and felt scared. I felt fear. For some reason, his eyes made me feel uneasy. I felt like I couldn't move or breathe. Three seconds later, I started to feel light-headed. But more so, I felt scared beyond reasoning. Just having him stare at me, it was so intimidating. My hands shook all over the place. My friends looked at me worried.

Eventually, I planted Conwell firmly in the ground.

"I can't do it." Everyone was shocked and the crowd shot whispers around… for what seemed to be the millionth time.

"I see… well then. I think that is a fitting punishment." He smiled softly again.

"What? Are you serious? Ah, ahem. Principal Xerath." Zod caught himself.

"This boy, murdered. He stole a cursed sword. He must be punished more severely! If he's let out with that sword, there's no telling what he could do! He must either be locked away or executed!"

"But I see no wrong with this boy." Principal Xerath's face grew serious. Zod shrunk a little.

"Vice Principal Zod. Tell me, what is this school?" Zod was confused.

"A school founded by great warriors who placed their hopes in that one day, the world will reach peace and be able to breed great fighters without the need for slaughter." Principal Xerath started on a long lecture of sorts.

"We are here in order to instruct those who come here, not only on how to fight and the law behind it, but also to teach them morals and compassion. To teach them the true joy of life and to accept them. We are to guide these children on their true path in life. We are a family, and that isn't just a way to identify ourselves. I do not take that term lightly."

"If you truly cannot see that value, then you have no place in my family. Vice Principal Zod… or should I say, Mr. Zod." Zod's eyes looked as if they had just shattered.

"You cannot be serious."

"I am dead serious Mr. Zod. Just because a boy made one mistake, does not call for immediately executing him. It calls for understanding and time. If we are really to ignore his feelings and rid of him, we are no better than murders ourselves."

"But!"

"Mr. Zod. I think you have had enough time at this school. I suggest you take your belongings and immediately evacuate. It is obvious to me you do not have the student's interest at heart as your main priority. This school is not for you."

"Principal Xerath, let me explain myself."

"What do you not understand Mr. Zod." His voice became grave. Zod's face contorted around into a mass of complete fear.

"I understand very well. I will be leaving shortly."

Zod finally gave up and walked away. His fists were trembling and I can hear him softly curse.

Whispers went around. My god, these people sure like to do this a lot.

"Principal Xerath!"

"Wow, this is him? He's incredible!"

"He is the principal, which must mean he is incredibly strong."

"He took down Elsword without even doing anything!"

Oh. My. God.

"Principal Xerath." Elesis got up and stuttered to the old man.

"Don't push yourself dear. You should rest for now." His was so soft, it is hard to disobey.

"But, it's been months since the last time I've seen you. I want to properly greet you." Elesis is still in pain and shows discomfort.

"We will save that for another time. For now, go heal up first. I'm sure your brother does not enjoy seeing you in this state." Elesis looks down defeated and Aisha helps her.

"Let's go Elesis." Aisha carries Elesis out of the coliseum.

"It's all over now huh?" Chung asked wearily.

"Yeah." Raven answered cheerfully.

"Good. Because I'm exhausted from having to fight those guards." Chung really did look exhausted

"Oh come on, it was only a few." Raven had his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, only a few 70 of them." Chung sarcastically responded.

"Well Elsword's safe now! And now we got that disgusting guy out of this school!" Raven added on.

"Well, that's a rude way to put it, but yes that is true." The old geezer laughs. I couldn't help but laugh as well, but I felt light-headed still.

I look over at Rena, who was hugging herself. I walk over to her.

"Rena, are you okay?" As soon as I ask, she spat out blood.

I look at her body and see a lot of wounds open up, especially where the javelin pierced her.

"Rena!" I tried to turn her body.

I still feel weak… I stagger a little.

"A bit too strong for you?" The old geezer holds me up.

"I…" I try to say something, but I was falling unconscious.

"We will talk later… for now, rest." He puts his hand over my eyes.

"But… Rena." But I drift off…

* * *

_That was quite the event._

…

_You know, from your memories, I expected your sister to come out like that, but that green-haired girl, Rena. She really became the hero of the day here._

Yeah.

_You probably don't realize what she did though._

What?

_Don't you find it a little too convenient that the principal came out at that particular moment?_

Wait, you don't mean?

_Rena must have went out and found the principal. Really, that must have been nerve wrecking, especially if he visited "that" place._

What place?

… _I think you should ask Rena that question. I also think you should be asking Rena something else._

…

_Not every day you find someone who treasures you that much. Although, you could say the same of your other friends as well, there is something different about that Rena gal._

Well, we have been friends for many years.

_It kind of boggles my mind though._

What does?

_Why do you choose Aisha over Rena?_

What?

_I mean, it seems to me that you and Rena are more intimate than you and Aisha._

Are you kidding me? Rena is like Elesis to me, another sister who always helps me. She always comforts me whenever I'm depressed. But Aisha always made me laugh and feel warm. She'd always take my mind off of being the reject of the world.

_Yes, but it seems that is only a temporary solution. Rena actually tried to help you in the long term._

…?

_You don't seem to realize that, Aisha does help you cope with your troubles with ignorance, which isn't always the best solution 100% of the time. Because she doesn't know how to help you, but Rena seems to completely understand your situation and knows how to rectify it. More importantly, Rena seems to value your happiness over everything else. I mean, why do you think she tried to help you with getting together with Aisha anyways?_

…

I still wonder that now. Rena at the time had a hint of sadness, but more-so she was very happy. She was so excited when helping me and put her full attention towards me.

_You also seem to forget something else important. How everyone else acts towards you._

The other three?

_Yeah. You always seem to talk shit about yourself and degrade yourself. It's one thing when others devalue it, but it's another when you do it yourself. You ever think about how the others feel when you put yourself down all the time?_

I guess I don't.

_You have such great friends. Whenever I got down in the dumps, everyone just let me be and said that time will heal me up. But your friends see you as an important part of their lives and wants you to share their happiness with them. That's why it hurts them to see you so sad. All of them go out of their way to support you up. You never use that support though. Of course, I won't say that going out of your way to obtain me was a bad idea, because honestly, you may need the extra help._

Okay, your point is?

_You really rush things too much. You're too pressured. You need to relax and just live life as it is now. More importantly, you need to cherish this life and the others more. Sometimes, it's just better to watch from afar._

Watch from afar?

_There was one time when the world was at war. Everyone was slaughtering each other, but one person sat there. He stood, not fighting. I once talked to him before, and he said these words which held more power than any one man can wield. "I'm fine watching from here. I will over watch this world, and decide for myself what I see fit for it. I will shed no blood, nor will I invoke it. I will wait and watch, until I can grasp the future." Honestly, I thought he was crazy, but ironically, it seems he was the winner of the war in the end. I sort of understand a little now of what he said._

I guess I don't.

_In time you will, just live life and be happy with what you've got. Alright?_

... Okay. I'll take you up on your offer. But, how come you know a lot about love?

_What. You think I was just a soldier my entire life?_

Pretty much.

… _Okay, let's stop talking now._

Uh…

* * *

Sunday, August 31st, 2014. 5:30 am.

… ZzZ … zZz … ZzZ … zZz.

I hear soft snoring to the side of me. I felt something soft and warm on the side of my abdomen. I try thinking about it before opening my eyes, but I can already tell… for the second time…

Question is, WHY IS SHE STILL DOING THIS?

Elesis was under the covers, hugging me tightly. This time, thank god, she was at least wearing a dress shirt and her skirt from before. Her hair was undone, letting it flow all around.

But she was covered in bandages, mainly where her skin tore off. Her left hand that was cut off earlier was reattached and bandaged as well. I gently took it and rubbed it.

Elesis flinched and opened her eyes only a little bit.

"Elsword?" She looks up at me.

"Yes?" I answered back in a question.

Her eyes got wet.

"Elsword!" She hugged me tighter.

"Elsword! Elsword! Elsword! Elsword!" Wait… something was wrong.

Her voice was a lot more childish sounding. She was rubbing her head on me and smiling like a kid.

She was still half-asleep.

"Elsword! I luv you! Lub you so mush!" What kind of speech is that?

But… I shamefully admit. This was too cute. I hesitantly hug her back, only to snap out of it and see that her breasts were touching me, basically latching onto me. I look down and see her cleavage through her shirt.

"Ahh!" Elesis stops and looks down… Oh god.

"Elsword got bigger!" Why was this so cute and why do I feel so disgusting now!

"Elesis please stop!" I finally manned up and pushed her away. Not sure If that was the "manly thing to do."

"… You didn't like that little brother?"

"Eh?" Elesis looked straight at me with a poker face.

"Don't tell me… you were acting this entire time?" My face twitched.

"Yes." She responded monotonously.

Where to begin.

"So, why did you act like a kid?"

"I thought it would make you happy, to see your normally sexy sister act so cute and adorable. How about it? Did it raise an ignition in your burning heart?" She smirks a little.

"Elesis, I've said this before, I don't harbor any lust towards my sister." I tried to stay composed.

"But you're pretty big right now." Elesis signals downwards.

"That is a psychological urge I cannot control Elesis, and I'd prefer you don't look so hungry towards it!" Elesis really did look like she wanted to eat it. She gets up on her knees.

"So. Even if I pose like this, you really don't feel lustful?" She spreads her legs a little and emphasizes her cleavage.

I immediately take her left hand and put pressure on it.

"Ow ow ow!" Elesis puts her right hand on top and starts pleading.

"Okay I'm sowwy, I won't do it again. Please stop!"

Ugh.

"Are you really okay Elesis?" I asked sincerely worried. Elesis looks up in surprise and pauses.

"Yes. I am fine Elsword." She gives me a warm smile and hugs me.

"That's fine then." I answered and hugged her back.

"But. You broke our promise." Elesis looked a bit mad.

She pinched my cheeks hard.

"Ow!"

She let go eventually and left off two large red marks.

"Sorry." I apologized, but smiled right after. She smiled back at me.

"That's fine then. Also." Elesis looks back at the door.

"You can all come in if you want. Standing out there must be awkward."

Rena, Aisha, Chung, Eve, and Raven all fall through the door. All of them were in pajamas.

"… What are you all doing?" I look at them with a face that says "no really, what the hell?".

"Oh well you know, just wandering the neighborhood." Chung responded chuckling.

"*Sigh* whatever then." I get up from the bed and stand in front of them all.

"Everyone. I'm sorry." I bow down in apology.

"I've caused you guys a lot of trouble, even though it's only the first week of school. All of you got hurt because of me. So, I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about? We're not hurt!" Raven exclaimed.

"Well, two of us are." Aisha added on, signaling Rena and Elesis.

"Well, it's not that big of a deal. They were able to heal pretty easiliy. Raven retorted.

"That's not the problem though. Both of them got severely hurt because of me, and Elesis almost died." I got a bit emotional. I clench my fists.

"If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened in the first place."

"Elsword…" Chung says quietly.

"Elsword." Elesis says firmly and walks up to me. Before she can though.

*Slap*

Rena slaps me across the face.

"Rena?" I hold my cheek in surprise. I couldn't see her eyes.

"Just shut up." I'm taken aback by what she says.

"Why do you always apologize? Why do you always take the blame? Just stop it!" Rena yells.

"Aren't we friends? Aren't the seven of us a family? If so, then it is just natural isn't it?" She looks up teary.

"We care about you and we love you, that's why we risk our lives to save you. Wouldn't you do the same? We don't want you to disappear from our lives Elsword. Just like how you don't want us to disappear." I start to tear up. Chung and Raven all nod together while Aisha is clutching her chest. Eve still stands there motionless, but smiling.

"_Yeah. You always seem to talk shit about yourself and degrade yourself. It's one thing when others devalue it, but it's another when you do it yourself. You ever think about how the others feel when you put yourself down all the time?"_

I see… this is what he meant.

"It's just obvious, so stop saying things like that." Rena then looks at me straight in the eyes.

"It hurts to see you like this when I love you so much!"

Suddenly, the atmosphere of the room completely changed.

"… Eh?" Rena looks confused.

"R-Rena?" Chung asks.

"Ah. She's gone and done it." Raven adds on.

"Quite the bold statement there." Eve says smirking wider.

"As I thought." Aisha crosses her arms and nods.

"Eh? W-wait, there's a misunderstanding here!" Rena turns beet red.

"Well. What is there to misunderstand? It was pretty clear you love Elsword. You just said it yourself." Raven gave her a straight look.

"N-n-n-no. That's not what I meant. I meant that, I mean, I love all of you, so… So!" Rena looked like she was malfunctioning.

"I see… so that's why you lashed out at me." Aisha says wearily.

"Huh? Lashed out at you?" I looked at Aisha wandering for an answer.

"Wait Aisha. We don't have to tell him about that! Please don't!" Rena tries to close Aisha's mouth but Raven restrains her.

"No! Raven let go! Please!" Rena squirms around, blushing even harder.

"Ah. When I told them that I rejected your confession…" I was still a little hurt by that. I could feel something prickle my heart as she says that.

"Rena got really mad at me and started to pour out a lot of anger."

"W-w-well. I mean, poor Elsword right? He must have been feeling really down. Especially since he does love you! A-a-and. Ahhh! What am I saying?" Rena covers her face.

This was actually quite the sight to see. Aside from being surprised that Rena outright did confess to me, it's pretty new to see Rena so flustered and out of order. But… it was a nice sight.

"… _I think you should ask Rena that question. I also think you should be asking Rena something else."_

…

"_Why do you choose Aisha over Rena?"_

…

_No, seriously, why do you choose Aisha over Rena?_

I don't know.

_Hm. Do you still choose Aisha over Rena?_

…

_Well. Good Luck with your decision._

… Thanks.

I look at every continuing to tease Rena and smile.

* * *

7:30 am.

Two hours of hanging out and everyone finally decided to leave.

"Ah. Thank god it's a Sunday. We can basically sleep in if we want." Raven yawned.

"Well, don't forget to do your papers you guys." Aisha reminded everyone.

"Wait, we still have to do those?" I asked.

"Yes. Ms. Asquith said that despite the recent incident, that does not excuse papers not being done… so it seems like we have a busy day today Elsword, Rena." Elesis promptly said.

"Y-yes Ma'am…" I responded.

"Well, I'm going back to my room." Chung said.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Everyone started walking out one by one. Rena was the last one. I grab her hand last second.

"Elsword?" She looks back.

"Can you stay for just a little bit?" I look at her eyes with determination. She blushes.

"Oh. Uh." It seemed like she was trying to find an excuse to leave. I proceeded to pull her into my room and shut the door with the lock on.

"Huh? Eh? What?" Rena was going unstable again.

"Rena." I looked straight into her eyes. She couldn't stop wandering around with hers.

*Sweatdrop* Oh god. I'm going to have to do this embarrassing act twice. Oh well.

I grab Rena's arms. It would be her shoulders, but she's a bit too tall for that.

She looks at me and calms down.

"Rena. Um." Oh crap. I don't know how to go about this. It was easy with Aisha since I just blurted it out first, but being on the receiving and responding end is actually hard!

"Do you really love me?" Rena's face turned bright red again. Her eyes shy away.

"Y-y…"

She looks at me again.

"Yes."

"Then. Would you mind going out with me?" Rena looks at me in surprise. She completely calms down, but her eyes get wet.

"Is that really fine with you Elsword? You don't want Aisha?" Rena's voice was shaky.

"Well she dumped me so. But of course I don't mean for you to think that I'm just going to my second option." I panic.

"But. I guess you can say it was just recently that I've really noticed something. Aisha wasn't really the one I wanted all this time. I was just blind." I pause for a second.

"The one who was really by my side and understood me the most. The one who really thought of me and cherished me, other than my sister, was you." I smiled gently at her.

"Rena, I love you too. So will you be my girlfriend?" I gave her a childish smile.

"Elsword. Yes!" She answered energetically and hugged me.

We hug for a while, savoring the moment.

"Ho. So Rena is the one after all?" To the side of us, Elesis was there, sitting on the bed, watching us.

"… Why am I not so surprised?" I took it well, but Rena was freaking out.

"Well. It was kind of obvious I'd have Rena as a little sister. Man, it took you a while to figure that out though little brother. Oh well." She shrugs and looks at us.

"I give you both my blessing." She smiles brightly, but raises three fingers.

"As long as we can have threesomes." At that moment, I felt like a mirror shattered somewhere.

"What?" Rena was completely confused.

"Well, I've been "taking care" of Elsword for a while now anyways. I want to be able to keep that relationship stable between us, so since you're going to be here with us, we might as well make it a threesome. Right?"

"Elesis." I look dead serious at her.

"What is it little brother." She tilts her head.

"I swear. I will only say this one more time, this is the very last time. We are dropping this topic after this. I. DO. NOT. LUST. FOR. MY. SISTER. AT. ALL." I put heavy emphasize on the last few words.

"But you would lust after Rena?" She says.

I wasn't thinking about what she said when she did but.

"Yes I would… wait!" I realized too late and look at Rena's response.

She completely shocked. But she puts one hand to her mouth and another on the hem of her shirt.

"W-well. If that's what you want Elsword. T-then… I-I'll let you use my body as well!" She says it bashfully.

Was Rena always this damn cute? I feel like my temperature is rising and my heart is beating a lot faster than usual. Was I sick? Yes… I'm pretty sure I'm horribly sick. I think I need to lie down… and wake up. This dream is a bit too much for me… ugh.

"I have no choice then. I guess I'll have to take my little brother away from you." Elesis looked serious.

"I won't let that happen!" Rena looked serious too, still red.

The morning went on for a while like this.

* * *

**Probably not as good as you guys would have expected it. But, I'm done with the first section of this story. Now we're moving onto more action packed stuff, and I'm going to focus more on the fighting scenes this time so they are actually more detailed and exciting.**

**The romance and romantic comedy will be mentioned from time to time, but it is now time to explore the school and what our friends will encounter during their study here.**

**Honestly, this first part was really to try and introduce as much background as I can about Elsword and his own problems. The next few parts will focus on the other individual characters, including Elesis and Conwell and a "few others". I hope you look forward to it. I'll have most unanswered questions that may be present from before in this next part of my story.**

**Thank you for reading up to this point. I hope you continue to enjoy.**


	10. Ch 9: Please Sir! Fight Me!

September 15th, 2014. 8:45 am. Homeroom ß

It's been a little over two weeks since that day. So many things happened that really did affect me, yet so many things that didn't really matter as much. I feel like I'm overlooking a few things. But, at least I'm a bit happier nowadays. Despite being a lot more anxious every day.

"Class, all rise." Elesis's firm voice fills the classroom.

"Bow." Everyone respectfully bows.

"Everyone be seated." Everyone quietly sits in their seats.

"Good morning class." Ms. Asquith spoke clearly to the class.

"Good morning Ms. Asquith." We all reply back.

The homeroom became very quiet and organized after that incident. I'm not sure why. However, the opinions of everyone in the entire school changed unfavorably.

"_Hey, it's that group."_

"_Yeah, they were the kids who interrupted the execution."_

"_What happened exactly?"_

"_I don't know, but I remember Principal Xerath intervening as well."_

"_It seems like those kids are in a special case."_

"_But, two of them have Conwell and Erendil!"_

"_What? Doesn't that mean one is cursed and another has dealt with elves?"_

"_Wait. Humans meeting with elves. Isn't that taboo?"_

"_Ah. Scary. I should stay away from them."_

"_But, Chung is so cute!"_

"_That robot arm of that Raven guy is a bit weird… but mysterious."_

Aside from the last one I remember hearing, it seems we've gained a pretty bad reputation around the school despite getting on the good side of old man Xerath. Ms. Asquith also became friendly with us, but just a little bit past teacher and student, not so much as friends maybe.

"_I think you should ask Rena that question."_

I still haven't really asked Rena about how she found the principal or about that "Erendil" sword she had at that time. She hasn't taken it out for quite a while now actually, although that's probably due to the fact that we haven't really fought much. On one hand, it bothered me because it made me feel a bit anxious about what she did or had to go through. On another hand though, I didn't really care, as long as she would stay by my side. I often times just forget the topic and move on. Honestly, I don't see the bad thing about interacting with elves. Old man Xerath found no harm in it as well, but everyone else in the school opposed it.

Oh well. Rena will tell me if she sees the need to in the future, if not then I'll just not know and that'll be that. Speaking of Rena…

The homeroom class had a seating change today. For some reason, it seemed Rena was the furthest away from me, almost the complete opposite side of me. Raven was behind me, Aisha in front of me, and Chung was to the right of me. I had the window seat on the left side of the room. Eve was to the left of Rena who was on the farthest right side of the room. When this occurred, Rena was actually teary. She settled down, but now.

"Elsword." Chung whispered quietly to me.

"Huh?" I responded quietly.

"Here." He hands me a closed, folded note.

I open it up and read the words "_Hi Elsword! (heart symbol)_."

At this point, I'm not sure whether to go along with this and respond appropriately, or properly tell her we need to pay attention to school. Oh who the hell am I kidding? I write down "Hi Rena!" and pass it back to Chung who proceeds to slide it all the way to under Rena's desk. Quite some coordination. No longer than a minute, Chung passes me the note again. I open it up.

"_You're going to buy bread for lunch right" _I look at this question puzzled. I answered and passed it back to Chung who did the same thing.

"_Yeah, I was planning to. Why?" _

Chung one again passes it to me.

"_Alright! Instead of that, just come to the roof of the school. Okay?"_ Again, puzzled, I decided to oblige.

"_Alright. I'll go there after class then."_ I pass it back to Chung for the last time, and that was the end of our short conversation in class.

One thing to note is, for the two weeks we've been "dating," I'm not sure where the "dating" portion is to be honest. I mean, we have been together for the two weeks doing a lot of things. However, most of them were pretty much related to our training, so we've been dueling each other for almost all the time now. We haven't done anything extra lovey-dovey, so I felt a bit sad and guilty because Rena is always excited when we're together. I've always wondered if she felt lonely because of that. Actually, I do know if she's felt lonely, because she apparently relays it to Aisha and Eve who pulp it out of her and then proceeds to pulp me, verbally. Chung and Raven just tell me to man up and ask her on a date or something, but I thought something like that was just pacing too quickly, so I just remained silent.

It makes sense though. The school has a pretty unique way of how it does its curriculums. The homeroom is only from 8:45 am to 9:55 am. From 9:55 am to 11:00 am, it is mandatory lunch as "lunch is a required time for humans to replenish any necessities in order to function properly." For the rest of school from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, the students are pretty much allowed to do anything that interests them.

This is due to "clubs." These aren't really "clubs" as much as they are "classes." The clubs are basically different styles or techniques of fighting. Swordsmanship, spearmanship, study of magic, archery, whatever you can think of, it's probably a club here. The clubs have many different activities that pertain to the style. There are practice sessions, tutoring, local tournaments, expeditions, missionaries, and the most important for each individual are missions that they are able to take up. Missions affect your ranking in the school. Ranking is just a system to show who is strong and who is not. Right now, the seven of us are ranked around 500~700/12070 students, with Elesis being an exception at rank 1.

There are other activities which are there just to boost your fame and superficial stuff like that, however, all of these clubs aim for one goal, the Champion's Cup. The Champion's War is basically the continent's tournament that decides who is the strongest person in the entire continent of Elrios. This is a tradition that's been going on ever since the Great War ended many years ago. The winner is basically titled the Champion of Elrios. While there have been many Champions over the past years, most of them are unknown. Not many people know why, but the people who win the Champion's War disappear without a trace. For that reason, many people are scared to go, so only the truly strong people actually enter. Elesis entered in it once. She was able to make it to the semi-finals until she finally retired randomly. No one really knows why that happened either, but she just didn't continue.

Aside from that, I entered the swordsmanship and study of magic club. I've always been interested in magic, pyromancy to be specific, since I was young. Swords were my first and only weapons as well. A lot of the members despised me already, but because I was stronger than most of them, they respected me in a way and always asked me for help in whatever activity they were doing. I haven't had much free time because of that. Also because I've been taking extra lessons on magic and other boring stuff like that.

Yeah, at this point, I feel like my life is a bit too lax and unorganized. I'm trying my best to become a great knight, but now I'm at a crossroad. Do I focus on being with Rena, focus on my training intensely, or balance the two equally. Life a happy school life with Rena, get extremely strong and be able to wield Conwell, or try my mental capacity at both.

… _I feel like this thinking process is completely flawed._

I feel like you're annoying.

_I feel like you spend too much time thinking to yourself._

I feel like you're just being rude and useless right now.

_I feel like you're just procrastinating and putting off difficult stuff for later._

What could I be putting off?

_Asking Rena the important questions and actually balancing your life correctly._

Ugh.

_By the way, you said you wanted to get better at magic right?_

Yeah. What about it?

_Why don't you ask your sister then?_

What do you mean?

_Well, it seems you do not use runes. However, Elesis seems to have a mastery over them. If you learn to use runes in accordance with your magic, you should get a pretty big power-up._

Runes?

… _Unbelievable._

Well sorry!

_By the way, shouldn't you be getting to the roof by now?_

I open my eyes and look at the time.

… Oh crap.

* * *

10:30 am El High Rooftop.

"Rena, I'm sorry!" I shout out as soon as I opened the door to the rooftop. No response.

I look around and see that Rena was sleeping, leaning on the fence with a blanket laid out and bento boxes, one in her hand and one next to her. I walk up and lower my face.

"Rena?" I asked quietly.

She was sleeping soundly. I felt really scared. What if she woke up and got really mad at me? Would she get mad at me? Although she usually let's a lot of things slide, I'm her boyfriend now. Is there such kindness for being her boyfriend?

But… getting a closer look at her. For some reason, I lock onto her face. It looked so gentle. Her soft expression was melting me. Her lips, I don't know how to describe it, but it started to lure me in. I lean in closer…

Wait.

I slap myself and pull back. Why am I taking advantage of a defenseless girl here? It may be Rena, but it's rude to just do that to her while she's sleeping. I need to wait for her to wake up.

Is what I thought at first, but I couldn't really resist looking at her face more. Eventually, my will gave up and I leaned in closer to her lips. Slowly, I get closer and closer until she was within grass length, until she finally opened her eyes.

"Mmmgh…" She wakes up and widens her eyes more at the sight of me.

"Ngh!" I start to pull back slowly, but Rena stops me.

"You're late..." Rena looked sad.

"S-sorry. I got caught up in something." I sincerely apologize.

"And...?"

"What?" Rena looks up at me with such a winsome expression. Her face was completely red. At first it looked like she was forcing herself, but it seems like she really wanted it.

"Why did you stop?" I blush madly. I sit next to her and lean in again. Our lips touch. At first, it was just a regular kiss, but we kissed for around 20 seconds. I don't know why, but I felt like an empty pit in my stomach was filling up just by kissing her. I wanted more every second that passed by. It felt really warm and fulfilling. There was a lot of moaning and gasps for breathes. We separated after 20 seconds and looked at each other blushing.

"Hah… hah…" Rena put her finger to her lips as she was catching her breathe.

"You're surprisingly good at kissing." Rena gave me another adorable expression. I honestly thought I was going to die of diabetes.

Thinking about it, this was actually our very first kiss together. Yet, it felt like it was just natural for us. Is this what happens when you don't spend time together with someone you love? I wasn't able to get one when I confessed to her. Kissing… felt really amazing. Actually, this feels a bit dangerous now. We shouldn't really kiss for that long while being inexperienced. Right? Actually, how does Rena know how to kiss like that?

_Well, she is somewhat older than you. She must have read a lot of mature material._

That... couldn't be true. Right?

_You never know. I mean, she did say that she was ready to let you "use her body"._

That's... actually true.

My face feels hot.

"Elsword, your face is really red. What's wrong?" She looks at me with concern and gets closer.

"Ah. N-nothing." I inch away.

"Are you... really that embarrassed about kissing?" Rena looks a bit sad.

"N-no..." I said shyly.

"Sorry. It's just that, we don't spend much time together alone. We haven't kissed once... so. I just thought it would be okay." Rena was tapping her fingers on top of each other. She turns towards me.

"But it's fine! We can just keep taking it slowly if you want to Elsword." She smiles sadly. It kind of hurt.

"No! It's okay. I was kind of feeling lonely too. I also think it was time we kissed at least once!" I panicked and tried to reassure her.

"Really?" She asked in a cutesy tone. Ah god!

"Really! I want to spend more time with you and make good memories along the way. So, I'm fine with anything you want to do. Okay?" I smile.

She smiles in relief and places her hand on top of mine. She got closer.

"Thanks Elsword." Our faces were close and so we slowly leaned towards each other again. We kiss again.

This time, she stuck her tongue in my mouth. This feeling felt like electric shocks going through my body. We kissed for a short time, a lot shorter than before. She backed off first and I can see the saliva connected between our tongues.

"H-how was that?" Rena asked me, her eyes wandering a bit.

"Y-yeah..." I was hazed a bit.

"Elsword, you're so cute." Her expression softens. Although, she is 1000x cuter.

"Well. I won't hold back from now on. Okay?" She finally smiles again.

"Alright. I'm prepared." I put both my arms up and smile back.

"Ah. Well. I made you lunch Elsword! Here." She shoves the bento box she had in her hands towards me and I accept it.

"Mm. Thank you Rena!" I smile shyly at her.

"Yeah. No problem" She smiles shyly at me as well.

I open the bento box and see white rice, sour red plum, octopus, and chicken inside. It looked absolutely appetizing. Rena stares at me intently.

"Thanks for the food." I start chowing down. I can feel Rena's stare intensify.

"Delicious!" I smiled at Rena. She smiles back in relief.

"Really? That's good then!" Although, her cooking is always good no matter what. Honestly, it's probably the best food I've ever had. However, she only made me food from time to time. If I think about it, I'll be able to eat it every day from now on, so long as we continue to go to lunch every day.

We ate for fifteen minutes. We have fifteen minutes left until lunch ends.

"Hey Elsword." I look at Rena who plays with her fingers.

"What is it?" I asked curious.

"W-w…" She was getting bashful. She turned her upper torso towards me and signaled to her lap with her hands.

"Would you like a lap pillow?" I promptly place my head down in spite of her shocked response. But she smiled in the end.

I laid down on her lap and she started stroking my hair. It felt nice.

"Your hair is really soft." Rena said peacefully.

"Yours is even softer." I said stroking hers. It was long enough for me to effortlessly touch it.

"Elsword?" She said my name again.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay with this?" She asked. She puzzled me.

"With what?" I answered nonchalantly.

"I never told you about Principal Xerath or Erendil." She looked off to the side.

"Well. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't pry in. If you want to tell me, I'll let you tell me, otherwise, you don't have to tell me." I felt like I said something really cool.

"I-is that so?" She was taken aback a little.

"Yeah."

"That's fine too then." She closes her eyes and smiles.

"Hey Elsword?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

We stay like this for the remainder of lunch. After the bell rings, we both get up and leave to go to our clubs.

*Sigh* time for another painful day at club.

_It isn't that bad is it?_

Maybe… sometimes.

_Well, you gotta do it anyways._

Yeah.

I walk up to the clubroom's door and take a deep breath. I open the door.

"Hey everyone. Huh?" I find a person standing in front of me with her back turned towards me. She turns around and stares at me.

"Red hair…" She slowly says.

"What?" I get confused.

"Ah, forgive me. Good morning sir, would you mind fighting me?" She asks very politely.

"Uh. What's going on?" I look behind her towards the other club members for an answer. The guys look at me with spite while the girls answer.

"This girl came in here asking for a "red haired" person. We think she meant Elesis, but maybe not?" She shrugs.

I take a closer look at the girl who wanted to fight me.

She had black hair with two braided pony-tails tied with a gold ribbon. She had a fox hairpin on. A shrine priestess kind of look actually. A one piece dress with a black and white pleated skirt with gold linings on the edges. A red girdle with a yellow string. She had long white sleeves. She wore white socks with black and red sandles. Finally, she had a black strip of cloth with a yellow bead near the end tied with a white strip of cloth with a yellow bead near the end. Her weapon was a double ended spear, one head was white, and the other was black. She was cute.

"So, why do you want to fight me?"

"Ah. I heard you possess Conwell. Yes?" She had her hands to her chin with a lot of hope in her eyes.

"Um. Yes?" I felt a little uneasy.

"That is why I want to fight you! I've heard you're the strongest fighter here." She smiles innocently.

"What?" I was greatly confused.

"No no no. if you want the strongest fighter here that would be my sister, Elesis." I wave my hand back and worth.

"You called?" Elesis somehow appeared behind me.

"But. She doesn't have Conwell, does she?" The girl said, still smiling.

"I suppose not."

"I want to fight someone strong, especially one who wields Conwell. So please, fight me!" For some reason, it's getting harder and harder to reject her… but.

"Sorry. I don't think I'd want to fight someone like you?" She seemed to have taken offense.

"What? Is it because I'm a girl?" She pouted.

"I mean, I'll be glad to fight… but." I realized I stepped into a landmine. I sound really sexist right now. Honestly, I don't want to fight her because of her innocence. It's just too bright for me. I'll probably end up not being able to fight.

"Sorry, I just can't. You can fight my sister if you want." I signal towards Elesis.

"Sure. I'm ready to take any challenge for my little brother." She pounds her fists together.

"Mm." The girl pouts even more.

"No. I want to fight Elsword."

"Sorry. I won't say yes… now then." I walk past her.

"What are our club activities today?" I ask casually.

The club members hesitated for a second, but went along with it.

"Well. We actually have a little hunting to do today. We're going to the lake in the forest to clear out some beasts that have recently been harming travelers.

I see the girl still pouting at me. Oh well, it's not like she'll follow me around. Right?

_30 minutes later._

11:30 am.

She actually followed me…

The same girl was trailing behind our group and staring intently at me.

As we walked along, the girl suddenly jumped in front of me and swung her spear around. A rock that was tied with a string falls to the ground and I can see a loop along the string.

"Hey! What did you do that for?" One of the club members said that, but closed his mouth right after.

"Oi." I look at him with annoyance.

"It isn't nice to play tricks on others." The girl pointed at the guy in a scolding manner.

"Tch." He walks off.

"Thanks for saving me there." I told the girl.

"Hue?" She looks at me surprised.

"Oh. It wasn't that great." She blushes and rubs her head.

We walk along the path a little more. Eventually, we got to the lake of the forest.

"Hm. I don't really see anything here." I look around.

"That's strange. There should be some beasts here." One of the girl members said.

"Yeah… Elsword." A boy came up behind me and pushed me.

"Go check the lake for us!" I fall forward, bracing myself for what was to happen. I close my eyes, but didn't feel any wet particles or impact. I open my eyes and see that the black haired girl grabbed me with a large spectral hand.

"What is that?" One of the club members said in shock.

The hand put me down next to her.

"Are you okay?" She looks at me worried.

"Y-Yeah." I compose myself.

"Ahaha. You saved me again." I smiled at her brightly. She blushes again.

"No. It was nothing." She rubs her head again, but turns towards the boy who pushed me off.

"Really now. Shame on you." Again, she points at him in a scolding manner.

"I-I'm sorry!" Oh. They seem a tad bit scared of her.

"As long as you understand, it's fine." She gives them an innocent smile which seems to have melted that fear.

_Grrrr_.

We hear growling from all around us. There were a bunch of beasts walking towards us. They were some giant pig mutations with scale armor.

"Everyone, get ready!" We all drew our weapons and prepared to fight. The black haired girl looked at me with a lot of hope in her eyes. I couldn't really understand why. But then she had an expression as if she got an idea and took out her spear.

Before anyone could do anything, the black haired girl went up to the beasts.

She started swinging her spear around and took down the beasts effortlessly. There was a strange way of how she swung her spear though. I've never seen any of the people in the spearmanship club do anything that she does. It was as if she was dancing as she fought. It was gentle, robust.

"_Heavenly Strike"_ She extended her spear outwards and pierced through a few number of beasts which all cried in pain.

She proceeded to jab them repeatedly with her spear until one finally jumped above her. It dive directly downwards.

"_Counter Switch"_ She immediately prepared for a counterattack. She slices horizontally pushing the one beast back and flipped backwards.

"_Rock Tiger Smash"_ She charged forwards and rammed into the beasts in front of her. As soon as they lost contact with her, she used both hands to execute two spins with her spear and proceeds to create giant gashes on the beasts' stomachs. The beasts in front of her run away while the ones behind her advanced towards her.

"_Fall"_ With a flick of her wrist, the beasts floated up in the air and smashed together. Her hairpin flickers and the beasts were chucked down into the ground by gravity.

"Now, the finisher!" She gets all riled up and gets in a stance.

"_Restraints Specter"_ She summons the same spectral hand and drags the beasts closer to her and the hands turn into claws which starts slashing the beasts mercilessly.

"_Shadow Knot"_ As soon as the beasts are knocked back a distance, she throws her spear spinning. It created a sort of whirlwind with the spear and it once again drags the beasts back towards her.

"_Darkness Sever" _She takes her spear, strikes a stance, and rushed forward with immense force behind her. For a second, I couldn't see her as she dashed.

"_Secret Art: Night Parade of One Hundred Specters"_ She leaped up far to the sky, and crashed down on the beasts with her spear pointing down. As soon as the spear made contact, an eruption of numerous specters was unleashed. The specters savaged the beasts, tearing them all apart.

The club members watched in awe.

"What is this?"

"So graceful…"

_I'll admit. Her fighting style is very graceful. All of her movements are precise and seem to flow well with each advancement. She has no unnecessary movements and seems to be free in every technique she does._

Although I'm not quite sure what Conwell said, her fighting style is something to be feared. It looks like she's just flailing the spear in a loose manner, but every swing carries a lot of power.

She took down all the beasts by herself. She stands with her spear planted on the ground. She looks back at me and smirks.

"Oh." Was all I managed to say.

She ran up to me.

"Hey. Did you see that? Am I worthy enough to fight you now?" She asked me as if she was a child who did some great accomplishment.

"What?" Again, she puzzled me.

"Because, you said you didn't want to fight me before because you thought I was weak, correct?" She pouted a bit."

"That wasn't really the reason…" I said a bit weary.

"But. I've proven I'm strong, right? So… I have the right to fight you, right?" She started flickering her eyes in a cute manner and wagged her behind.

_Choose:_

_Accept the offer and fight the girl._

_Decline the offer and continue to ignore her._

_Persuade the girl to do perverted things for you._

_Take advantage of the girl and make her yours._

What the hell are you going on about now? Actually, why does this seem familiar…

I sigh and give up.

"Alright. I understand. I'll take your duel invitation." Her face lightens up.

"Yay!" She starts jumping around waving her arms. She eventually turns to me again.

"Thank you!" I blush and look away.

"Whatever. Meet me at the school entrance at 6:00 pm. Alright?"

"Yes sir!" She salutes to me and runs off in a random direction, but stops.

"Oh. I forgot to introduce myself." She turns to me and curtseys.

"My name is Ara Haan. It's a great pleasure to meet you." She raises her head and gave me, no doubt, the more innocent smile I've ever seen before. She proceeds in the direction from before and disappears.

The club members whisper behind me.

"Hey. Was he flirting with her?"

"What? Is he two-timing with that elf lover?"

"Rena right? Wow, even if it's her, I have to feel bad for her."

Wait… how do they know I'm in a relationship with Rena? Also, are they seriously getting that vibe from both of us?

_Well. If I were them, I'd think you were flirting with that girl._

Oh just shut up.

_But, if this news gets to Rena or the other six…_

…

God, please have mercy.

* * *

**Credits to SAO for showing me how to make corny and unbearable romance scenes :D.**


	11. Ch 10: Before The Duel

1:00 pm. School Entrance.

…

_What's wrong partner?_

I'm scared.

_Scared of what?_

Scared of whether the rumors spread or not.

_What? That you were flirting with that girl?_

I was not flirting! All I did was accept her duel! How is that flirting?

_Well. You both blushed a lot. You thanked her a lot. She saved your life as if you were both destined loves._

Now you're being ridiculous. She was just being nice and helping me out. I responded to that kindness. That isn't flirting.

_Hm. whatever you think then… versus what everyone else thinks._

Ugh.

_I'm not sure about the five of them, but Rena would understand right?_

What do you mean?

_I'm sure she has a lot of faith in you. When she hears this rumor, she'll probably shrug it off and ask you when she sees you._

Do you think so?

_If she truly is your girlfriend and truly does love you that is what she will do._

… Thanks Conwell. I feel better now!

_Yeah. Just be prepared for a beating when that purple haired girl finds out._

… Thanks Conwell. I feel worse now!

I take a deep breath and enter the school grounds. Already in the front yard, I see Rena standing there. I was fairly convinced by Conwell, so I ran up to her.

"Rena!" I shouted out as I ran smilling.

She turns around and gives me a dull expression.

Eh?

"Um. What's wrong Rena?" I ask as soon as I was close to her.

"So. You were flirting huh?" I felt like something shot me in the chest.

"Uh. Rena?" I weakly say.

"I see. So I guess I'm just not good enough for you." Another shot.

"Wait. Rena, I can explain." I'm barely standing at this point.

"It's okay. You don't have to. I think I understand now." She closes her eyes and looks away. Three shots in a row, and I'm out.

I'm on all fours on the ground in agony. Rena kneels down and hugs me.

"I'm just kidding silly. Of course you wouldn't do something like that." Her tone was soft and she smiled.

"You're going to give me a heart attack one day." I said completely serious.

She giggled.

"It kind of did hurt at first though." She sadly smiles.

"So…" She looks at me passionately. She learns in towards me and kisses me.

After a few seconds, I pull away. However, Rena grabs my arms and forces me back in. I fall backwards and she starts kissing on top of me. She pulls back, leaving me in a daze. We both get up.

"A little pay back." She wipes her mouth.

"Okay, diabetes too? That's fine then." She smiles.

"But. You're going to fight her at 6:00 pm.?"

"Yeah. Well, at least they got that part right." I honestly thought everyone would completely twist the facts.

"Hm. Well, good luck then Elsword!" I was a bit speechless because I wasn't sure what to say at this point.

"So… are you busy right now?" I ask.

"Mm." She thinks for a bit and then shakes her head no.

"Then, do you want to hang out together?"

"Alright!" She answered almost immediately with her eyes sparkling at me.

Was she expecting this?

_So. When was the last time you had a date?_

…

Actually. We've never gone on a date before.

_I'm just kidding. On a serious note,, it's nice and all you're giving her attention and spending time together as a couple. But remember, you are also a knight in training. Not to mention that you can only wield me for a certain amount of time, albeit a pretty good amount of time._

I can't really argue. I can only use Conwell for up to 20 minutes before I start straining my body. I do want to get stronger as fast as I can, and I want to change everyone's opinion about me. As long as they recognize me and don't belittle me like my parents did, then I'd have accomplished everything I've desired from when I was seven.

_I'm also concerned about the other five actually._

How come?

_When was the last time you even spent time with them?_

… I guess you have a point.

I haven't really spent much time with everyone at all. Only Rena. I thought it was just their considerations for us, but two weeks is a bit over the top huh?

_You really need to learn how to balance your personal life you know?_

On a more serious note, what are you, my dad?

_Hah. Bet you I'm better. But, what are you going to do with Rena for now?_

Uh.

Good question, I actually didn't know.

"So. What do you want to do?" I ask Rena.

"Hm. Whatever you want to do!" She just smiles at me.

"Uh. Okay."

Conwell, help me.

_What? What am I supposed to do?_

Tell me what to do!

_Okay? Hm… Oh!_

What?

_Elsword, what do you know about Rena?_

What?

_If you think about it, you don't really know "that" much about Rena, right?_

What are you talking about? We're childhood friends. I know a lot about her!

_Maybe, from years ago. But now?_

Huh… Rena is 16. She is a talented archer. She's really good at cooking and always seems to put everyone else before her. She's really kind and tolerant, but can get angry. She loves to eat sweet things and hates bitter food. She has relatively no fear that's worth mentioning and…

_Okay never mind. I was wrong._

Yeah… so?

_Well… the only thing I can think of is getting new clothes?_

New clothes?

_Girls usually get excited over trying to new clothes for a guy and getting their opinions. It's also a way to compliment her._

I see…

_It's also a way to "accidently" see her naked._

Oi… I'm not that kind of person?

_Really? _

Of course not. I wouldn't dare do anything like that!

_But you would kiss a defenseless girl?_

Ngh.

_You would also "lust" over her._

That was forced on me!

_So you don't think she's gorgeous?_

N-no… I do think that.

_I bet you masturbate thinking about Rena._

"I DO NOT!" I shouted out.

"Elsword?" Rena jumped a little.

"Oh." I turn red and calm down.

"Uh. Are you okay?" She looks concerned.

"No I'm fine." I shake my head.

"Rena, let's go shopping." I decided to give Conwell's idea a try.

"Shopping?" She looks confused and a bit suspicious.

"Yeah. It would be nice to see you try out different clothes since usually we just wear the school uniforms most of the time."

"Don't tell me…" She narrows her eyes a little.

"What?" Confused.

"You're trying to sneak a peek at me naked?" She points at me.

_Oh hey! Right on the money._

What the…

"What? No! I wouldn't do that!" I panic.

"So you aren't interested in my body?" It looks like Rena took offense to that.

"That's not what I said." I retorted.

"So are you interested in my body?" Rena looks at me sternly.

"Ngh… well." I blush.

"Yes." I hesitate.

"Hue… then." She gets closer and pushes her body onto mine. She brings her face close to mine.

"Shall I teach you about my body?" She had a mischievous smirk on her face. Her teasing started to irritate me and I felt like a switch turned on.

"Alright then." I responded calmly.

"Eh?" Rena was a bit surprised. She pulls back but I hug her.

"I'll enjoy taking my time while indulging myself in your body then." I bluff.

"Eh? Elsword? W-wait. I was just joking! I don't think…" Rena gets flustered.

"But. You said it yourself right? Even before, you said if I'd like, you'd let me use your body." I playfully said.

Rena was beet red and squealed.

"Y-yes… I did say that." She was starting to tear up. I felt bad, but at the same time, I felt good.

"Then?" I asked a bit demanding.

"Yes… I. I…" I hear something strange. Looking down, I see Rena's legs squirming around.

"Rena… don't tell me?" I ask, actually concerned this time.

"Don't look!" Rena tries to cover her lower parts.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to get pay back on you teasing me." I got on my knees and sincerely apologized.

"… It's okay." Rena, still blushing, looks aside.

"In a way, that was nice." Rena murmured something, I couldn't really hear it.

"What?" I asked.

"N-nothing! Nothing at all!" She shakes her hands in front of me.

_Wow. I never would have taken her to be such a masochist._

Yeah. I never thought I would see this kind of side to her.

_I also never would have thought you out to be such a sadist._

… Well. You can't blame me right? She was just so cute! And this was really pay back.

_Yeah. But her teasing you wasn't that bad right? I mean, now she's going to be more distant and cautious of you now._

Wait… that's true. What did I just do?

_Screw yourself._

Not helping.

_When did you even help yourself?_

Dammit…

"Hey, Elsword?" Rena looked at me with puppy eyes.

"*Gulp* w-what?" I try to smile.

"When we're alone…" Rena starts and looks down.

Wait, alone?

_Oh god. Don't tell me._

"C-can we… do this again?"

… … … … … … I felt like my heart took a heavy hit. No, my conscious? Maybe just my morality in general.

Those words were very powerful and dangerous.

_Wow. You got base 1 only a while ago, going for base 2, 3, and 4 all in one swoop?_

Can you say something productive here?

_Well. I can say that... you both make a surprisingly good S&amp;M couple._

Oh. My. God. Just. Shut. Up. Then.

"Um. Well…" I didn't know what to say honestly.

"Hey Elsword!"

_Oh, speaking of the other five._

I turn around to see Raven, Chung, Eve, Elesis, and Aisha all walk towards me.

Rena jump a little and tries to fix her face.

"What's up you guys?" I ask.

"Oh nothing. Just watching our favorite program of the day." Raven smirks.

"… So who brought upon this idea?" I ask. Everyone points to Elesis.

"Elesis?" I was actually surprised.

"Well. I gotta make sure to have witnesses in case any of you move in on the other." Elesis says with distrusting eyes.

"We would never do that." I said with my arms crossed.

Eve holds up a picture to me and it was when Rena was on top of me. I immediately burn the picture.

"I have more." Eve looks at me with a poker face and brings up six more.

"OKAY THEN. FINE, WE KISSED. IS THAT SO BAD?" I scream in frustration. Everyone shook their heads no.

I feel like my head is exploding.

"Really now. You guys don't talk to us in two weeks and this is the first thing that comes up?" I said wearily.

"Well. You guys are a couple. We just didn't want to intrude on you two." Chung said sincerely.

"I can believe that… coming only from you Chung." I look subjectively towards the others.

"What! We were nice enough to give you time some alone time! We also got a pretty good deal out of it too." Raven still smirking says with pride.

"Honestly, I'm just wondering why it took you guys two weeks to even kiss. Also, why you guys are doing it so intensely." Aisha condescendingly says.

These people…

"For me. It is a sister's duty to…" Elesis begins but I cut her off.

"Well then. Any particular reason why you guys finally decided to talk to me?" I cross my arms and tap my foot.

"We heard you are going to fight Ara Haan in a few hours." Eve finally stated.

"Yeah. What about it?" I asked, still a bit mad.

"You really don't know anything, do you?" Aisha asked me in disbelief.

"What?" I asked with annoyance in my tone.

"*Sigh* you'll see when you fight her." Aisha face palmed herself.

"Well. We'll cheer you on." Aisha slightly smiles and everyone else does too.

"Who's going to be overseeing the duel?" Eve asked.

"Oh…" I honestly forgot about that factor. I look towards Elesis.

"Understood. I'll be ready at 6:00 pm to authorize the duel." She says seriously.

"On a more serious note…" Elesis gets closer to me and puts her arm around me.

"How far have you guys gone. Base 2 yet?"

Conwell. I think you're somehow influencing everyone. Please stop saying suggestive things like that.

_Hey. Not my fault your sister has a huge brother complex._

I wish… that I could argue against that statement.

"No. Only base 1." Rena answers, somewhat unfazed.

"Hm. So you haven't really fondled her yet?" She puts her hand to her chin.

"Stop messing wit—" Elesis cuts me off.

"By the way. How big are your breasts Rena?" Elesis turns to Rena.

"Eh? What are you… Eep!" Rena was unprepared and Elesis starts groping her.

"Alright, I'm leaving." I start walking off. Rena tries to escape, but Elesis was really going for it.

"Wait Elsword. Tell your sister to get off! Help!" Rena tries to plead me, but I was pretty much long gone.

I walk a considerable distance from them and sit on a bench nearby.

*Sigh* those guys.

_Well. At least they are pretty lively still without you two._

I suppose that's true. But still, they're being a bit excessive now.

_That's what friends are for._

Ugh.

_Something worries me though._

What?

_What Aisha said. It seemed a bit ominous._

It's Aisha. She worries about a lot of things.

_Yeah. But Ara Haan… Haan sounds familiar._

"Elsword!" I turn to the side to see Chung running towards me.

"Elsword, you really don't know who Ara Haan is?" He asks me surprised.

"No?" I reply back puzzled.

"Be careful when you fight her Elsword. She's not an ordinary human." Chung has a grave expression.

"Not an ordinary human?" I become more puzzled.

"Whenever she's about to use a technique, you need to avoid her no matter what. Also, if her hairpin glows in any fashion, you need to end the fight soon, whether you forfeit or not." Chung's word held weight in them.

"Why?"

"A lot of her techniques are used for a long chain of skills that allow her to execute an extremely powerful finisher. Also, that hairpin has some sort of hidden power in it. She can even manipulate energy to create large claws." At the end, I remember back to when she took down the beasts in the forest.

"I've already seen that before."

"You have? You aren't intimidated at all?" Chung looks at me bewildered.

"It just means she's really strong. But, if she is, then I'll have to win no matter what." I answer with a smirk.

Chung looks at me, still shocked, for a second, but then starts laughing.

"What was I worrying about? It's you anyways." He gives me a grand smile.

"I know you'll end up winning."

"Of course!" I said with my hands at my hips.

"Good luck then!" Chung says that and waves good bye as he walks away.

_Ho? Very confident huh?_

Of course! I'm not going to lose this fight. I'm going to become stronger!

_Well. I'm not sure how this fight became something to prove you were strong?_

She said she wanted to fight a strong person. So I'll show everyone how strong I really am!

_I see… alright then. Just remember though. Do not wield me unless it is absolutely necessary._

I know I know… On a side note, we still have around 5 hours. What to do now?

_Oh yeah. You were about to go shopping with Rena._

… Maybe I should check on her?

I felt a little bad leaving Rena behind with Elesis. I go back to where I left them and saw they all already left. I look around and see a familiar black haired girl…

Ara was sitting at the school's gates, waiting. She had a serious expression and was firmly planted on the ground.

"Ara?"

"Ah!" Her face lightens up and she jumps towards me.

"Elsword!" She was wagging her behind and it seemed as if her eyes were sparkling at me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, although I'm sure I knew why.

"Waiting!" She answered energetically.

"For me?" I asked, still knowing.

"Yes sir!" She replied politely this time.

"Uh. Don't' you have anything else to do?"

"No!" She answered happily to that as well.

"Hm." I think for a second.

"Then, would you like to talk until its 6:00 pm?" I asked

"IF you desire it, then yes!"

"Alright." We both sit down and face each other.

"So…" Before I can get anything out.

"Hey hey. How is it wielding Conwell?" She asked intensely.

"Wielding Conwell?" I actually thought about it.

"Well. I'll admit, it's a bit tiring and troublesome. But it feels incredible after I get used to it."

"Really?" She seems so interested in me.

"Why did you go get Conwell?"

"Why?" I restated the question.

"For power." She looks at me confused.

"Power?"

"Yeah. For a long time now, I've always been viewed as weak and talentless. No matter how hard I worked, I still felt inferior to everybody. That's why my sister suggested getting Conwell."

"Heeeh. I see."

"But, you are very strong." She gestured around.

"What?" I asked her, not knowing what she meant.

"I can see it. Your heart is very pure. Your intentions and goals are innocent. You work hard. You are very strong!" She smiles like a child. Somehow, it kind of feels serene.

"Thanks." I say softly.

"You're welcome!" She stares at me.

"What is it?" I kind of feel awkward.

"It must be nice being able to be with your family." She looks down, looking crestfallen.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling some tension.

"… Nothing." She looks back and reassures me.

"Forget I said that." She smiles again, but with a small hint of hesitation. I decide not to pry into it.

"Alright then." I still feel concerned.

"You're very nice too!" Again, another compliment.

"You're very polite." I responded.

"You think so?" She looked oblivious to that fact.

"I mean, the way you talk and how you act. Any person wouldn't dare act indecent in front of you."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Ahahaha." She laughs for some reason.

"Well. The way you talk and act, you give someone the wrong hints." She stares at me with a strange smile. It almost looked… passionate?

"What do you mean?"

"Hm." She stares at me for a bit.

"Uh…" I didn't know what to say, so I just waited.

"Elsword, would you like to make a bet?"

"A bet?"

"Yes." A bet for the duel? I felt something off here, but I didn't really delve into it.

"Alright. A bet doesn't sound that bad."

"Okay! Then… whoever wins the duel has to listen to the other person for… two entire days!" She says it with a lot of energy.

"Okay. I'll accept that bet." She reaches out her pinky.

"Then. Promise?" I grab her pink with mine to seal the promise.

"Pinky promise, if I lie, I will drink 1000 needles, and cut my pinky!" She says it so happily… yet the meaning.

"Whoa. A bit scary for a promise." I say chuckling a bit.

"Oh I'm sorry. Did that discomfort you?" She looked completely sad.

"No. I just thought it was cool." I reassured her.

"Oh, I see then." She turned happy again.

_Wow. These mood swings are amazing. She's almost like… a pet?_

Hey, that's rude.

_Oh? Elsword listens to the polite type like this huh?_

What does that mean?

_Nothing. It just seems you are a lot more submissive to people like her._

I mean. It just feels wrong to be even the tiniest bit rude to her.

_Yeah. Until she beats you in the duel._

What? You little…

_But. Why did she make that bet? Doesn't that strike you odd in any way?_

Yeah. It did.

_Why did you accept it then?_

Well. What harm could it really do? She doesn't look like she has any evil intentions. She seems like a nice girl. Really, what could she possibly do with me for the next two days?

_Well… if you're that sure about it. I guess that's fine. Just be careful. You at least should give the duel everything you've got._

Of course! I'm going to be using you anyways.

"Hey Elsword?"

"What's up?"

"That green haired girl. Are you dating her?" Her eyes were sparkling again.

"What?" I wasn't really that surprised. But it was interesting how she knew.

"How did you know?" I asked to make sure.

"To be honest…" She was blushing a bit and looked sad.

"I overheard your "conversation" earlier." She looks down apologetic.

"Earlier conversation?" I think back… I realize it.

"What?" I shouted out too loud.

"I'm sorry!" She ducks and covers her head.

"Oh! Wait, it's fine! I'm sorry I shouted like that." I tried to apologize.

"You're not mad?" She looked at me teary.

"Of course not. I was just wondering was all. It doesn't really matter if you overheard it anyways." We both calm down a bit.

"Well. It's just that… I heard some inappropriate things…" She blushes more and her voice got quieter.

"Ah… well. Don't mind us. I mean, we only got together two weeks ago." I say scratching my head?

"Two weeks?" She is shocked.

"And, you two are already doing things like that?" She kind of cuddles towards herself for some reason.

"Yeah. We're kind of unsure on how to take on being a couple, so…"

_You know, people usually are more embarrassed about their relationship and would try to deny the fact that they are in one. You don't really care if other people find out?_

I mean, not really. It doesn't affect me much if she knows or anyone else finds out. If anything, I think I would be fine with going up in front of the school, even the world maybe, and declaring "I am Rena Parker's boyfriend".

_I wonder how Rena would react…_

… I should probably think before my actions.

"I see…" She has a suspicious look on her face.

"Uh. Ara? What are you thinking about?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing." She answers back nonchalantly.

_Hey, it's almost 6:00 pm._

I look at the time, it was 5:30 pm.

Wow, time passes by fast.

_Well, talking would take a while if you don't keep tabs on the time or if you are really interested in the topic you are discussing._

Thanks teacher!

_No problem student._

"It's almost time." I tell Ara.

"Ah!" She looks at the time and jumps up.

"I'm ready!" She fist bumps the air and yells that out.

"You really are innocent you know?" I say smiling a bit.

"Well you're very nice, you know?" She copies me.

We both laugh for a bit.

* * *

6:00 pm. School Entrance.

"So, are you all ready?" Elesis asked both me and Ara.

"Yeah! Just one question! Why is old man Xerath here?" He was standing right next to Elesis. Behind us was a large group of students, mostly ranked under 1000.

"Well. I just thought that this would be a special battle that Elesis alone cannot oversee. Especially if _she_ is fighting _you_." I felt heavy emphasize on the words "she" and "you"

"Alright then. I guess there's no harm in that." I shrug it off. I look around at the crowd and see the other five standing together. Aisha looks worried. Chung has a pretty confident smile. Raven has a small smirk, probably thinking this is going to be a good fight. Rena has a little poster that says "Good Luck Elsword!" I kind of felt embarrassed by that. Eve had her drones out to record data.

"Elesis, if you would." He turns towards Elesis.

"Yes master." She walks forward a bit and takes in a deep breath.

"As an authority of the law proceeded by the Gods of Elrios…"

I got out my sword and prepared myself. Ara was on the other side with her spear at hand.

"I shall witness this trial of those who requested…"

Ara bowed. I panicked a bit and bowed back.

"Pass judgment on these who you have given…" Elesis looks towards me for some reason. Ara had her spear in her right hand on the backside with her left palm facing towards me.

"And guide them on in the correct path…" Elesis was still staring at me.

"I announce this fight sanctioned under the name of the Great One." Still staring at me. This was making me feel a bit uneasy. Ara was looking fierce while I'm here trying to figure out what Elesis is doing.

"…" Elesis is just frozen right now.

"Ah. I forgot to mention." Elesis put one hand out and places a fist on top of it.

"Elsword. You are not allowed to use Conwell at all during this fight." I open my eyes wide. I could see Ara flinch a bit.

"Wait. What? Why not?" I was shocked. Without Conwell, I might not be able to fight against Ara!

_I thought you were confident though?_

Yeah! But it's obvious I'll get my but whooped if I don't use you! She's too strong for just me!

"Then… _you may begin!_"

Ara hesitated a little, but proceeded to dash towards me.

Dammit… alright then. Here goes nothing!

I draw my sword up and take a defensive stance.

This is going to be a long fight.


	12. Ch 10x: Two Weeks & Special Duel

**Again, sorry for late update guys. Been really trying hard to finish school and deal with some personal issues.**

**As I said earlier in a review, this and next chapter will probably be bonus chapters with comedy and more information about the school. After that, I will post the 11th chapter no longer than 2 weeks from now. I hope you all are patient until then. Thank you for reading and following this story.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

September 14th, 2014. 7:00 am. Homeroom Class.

_Raven's POV_

"Well then. This has been a pretty productive two weeks for us." Aisha says looking unamused.

"Ahaha…" Chung laughs awkwardly.

"What do you propose we do then? Elsword and Rena would most likely want as much alone time as they can get. Especially since they are new at this and are easily embarrassed." Eve states, recalling on the times when we did barge in on them and they would turn red and barely say anything at all.

"I don't think it will take long for them to get used to it. Maybe today we can join them." I added on.

"That would be a good thing for us! It's kind of weird to do things without them both." Chung looks up with a bit of hope.

"Hm." I think for a bit.

It's been two weeks since that incident that somehow got Elsword and Rena together. Honestly, I'm not sure whether to question it or just feel happy for Rena. She seems really happy, so I suppose it is fine. I'm able to see her smile every day now. My heart is a bit at ease. However, out of consideration for them, we all decided to give them some time to adjust themselves. Although, we have talked a little bit… and by talked, I mean used as methods of communication when they cannot see each other.

"Man though, those guys really are embarrassing… I can't help but either laugh uncontrollably or blush whenever I see them together alone." Aisha states, probably recalling on the times when we spied on them as they were alone.

It was… questionable I think?

* * *

_September 5__th__, 2014. 10:45 am. Rooftop._

_Elsword's POV_

"_This is a pretty good spot." I said brightly._

"_It sure is!" Rena added on excitedly._

_We both decided to try and eat lunch alone up here. It seems that no one really comes up here. I wonder why?_

"_Shall we sit over there?" Rena points over near the fence._

"_Alright." I agreed and we both proceed to sit and eat our lunch._

_Rena bought a lot of melon bread while I bought a lot of sausage rolls._

"_You really like melon bread huh?" I asked._

"_Yeah! It's always the best!" She give me a V sign._

"_Same to you. You buy a lot of sausage rolls." _

"_Ah… well." I scratch my head._

"_Not like there's anything else good to eat around the school."_

_The school has a pretty interesting way in handling its food distribution. There are apparently food rankings. Depending on your rank and fame in the school, you gain access to different ranking of food. Right now, I'm ranked 682/12070 students with a fame of… 6. Guess who the 6 are? Fame is given when another student or teacher sees value in you and writes a letter of recommendation for you. The letter is read by the council consisting of the principal and his close associates. _

_The ranking of food goes on a star ranking._

_1 Star – Anyone._

_Consists of Rice, Soup, and Water._

_2 Star – Ranked top 75% Fame negligible._

_Better 1 Star food and Bread, Energy Drinks, Chips, Vegetables._

_3 Star – Ranked top 50% Fame 10% of student population._

_Better 2 Star food and assortments of Meat and Sea Food._

_4 Star – Ranked top 25% Fame 50% of student population._

_Meals prepared by famous chefs with a variety of choices._

_5 Star – Ranked top 10% Fame 90% of student population._

_Food prepared by THE greatest chefs in the continent which is pretty much the cost of acres per meal._

_The ranking in my opinion is just ridiculous… There are only 10 students who even have access to the 5 star food. They're regarded as the Knight of the Round. They are actually the top 10 students in the entire academy. Elesis's official title from the school is the Red Knight of One. Everyone still prefers to call her the "Red-Haired Knight" though. _

_Everyone else is ranked higher than me, and they actually have 10% of the student population in fame, so they have the 3 Star food. I… have 2 Star since I don't even have 1% of the student population in fame. Most people really dislike me… REALLY dislike me. Despite this, Rena always came with me and bought the 2 Star food even though she can just get the 3 Star food. I tried convincing her otherwise, but she always fought back with the same corny line – "The food tastes good no matter what when I eat with you." Always with a cutesy expression._

_Me and Rena finish eating our load of bread quickly and sit there basking in the sunlight._

"_Hey Elsword?" Rena asked me a meek voice._

"_Hm?" I responded._

"_We… have been lovers for a few days right?" She starts playing with her fingers._

"_Yeah." I answer nonchalantly._

"_But we haven't really done anything that lovers do…" Still playing with her fingers, she looks down. I can see a tint of red on her cheeks._

"_Yeah…?" I responded with a question._

"_So. It would be fine to try things that lovers would do, right?" She finally looks at me with small puppy eyes._

"_Uh… yeah. Of course!" I responded heartedly. I couldn't really refuse._

"_Really? Then…" She was a bit happy and leaned closer to me._

"_R-Rena?" She put her arms around me and embraced me with her head laying on my head. With her height, it probably looked like she was hugging a doll. She placed her hands on top of mine._

"_Ah… so warm." Rena peacefully says._

"_Yeah." I add on with a small voice._

_I feel her breasts pushing up on my back. It feels irresistible. How long do I have to stay like this?_

_**Shouldn't you be happy right now? A lovely girl is embracing you closely. I think that most guys would curse you with jealously by now.**_

_Maybe if I was like any other guy._

_**Well, you still are a boy.**_

_Ngh._

_By now, my face must be burning red._

"_Elsword?" Rena asks._

"_Yes?" I answer back, still embarrassed._

"_Is it fine to do this every day? This… somehow feels really nice." Rena's voice was still peaceful. As if she was in pure bliss._

"_Yeah. Do whatever you like." I smile. _

_She tightens her hug._

_Raven's POV_

"What? I thought that was a cute moment for them!" Chung protested at Aisha.

"Yeah sure! If you like diabetes." Aisha retorts.

"At least it wasn't as bad as the "sick incident"." I stated.

"Oh please. Don't even get me started…" Aisha face palms herself.

* * *

_September 11__th__, 2014. 7:33 pm. Elsword's room._

_Elsword's POV_

"_Elsword, are you okay?" Rena asked worried._

"_Do you need anything Elsword?" Elesis asked as well._

"_Well… before anything, there's one thing I'd like to know…" I answer irritated._

"_What?" They both answer simultaneously._

"_Why the hell are you both wearing those costumes?" I shouted out._

_Rena and Elesis were both wearing nurse uniforms. The extremely flashy and tight ones with pantyhose and small mini-skirts. The tightness defined their curves indefinitely and the uniform as a whole made them look…_

"_What are you talking about? This is required when taking care of a sick person." Elesis says with a pound to her chest._

"_Oh god…" I face palm myself._

"_Elsword… do you not like this on me?" Rena asks with her arm lifting her breasts._

_I gulp._

"_I mean. It looks really good on you!" I answer back with a sweat drop._

"_Ah. I see." She smiles a little._

"_What about me?" Elesis strikes a pose waiting for my answer._

_I decided not to answer for a bit._

"_What about me?" She repeated the question, as if I didn't hear it._

"_What the heck about you?" I replied with annoyance._

"_Hmph." She simply pouts and looks at Rena._

"_Eh?" Rena looks confused and a bit intimidated._

"_Ah. I see. I guess I'm in the way." Elesis gets up and walks towards the door._

"_Well. I guess Rena can be the one to nurse you then." She had a tint of sadness, but a splash of deviousness. She exited after saying so and closed the door._

"_Ah… I guess she's sad now." Rena chuckles awkwardly._

"_Oh well. She'll be happy again soon." I assured Rena._

_Rena smiles at me. I smile back, but then become completely serious._

"_So…" _

"_What is it?" Rena asked curiously._

"_How long are you going to stay in that get-up?" I felt my face twitching._

"_Does it really bother you that much?" Rena sits on the left side of the bed._

"_Yes. Yes it does." For many reasons I shouldn't even say._

"_I see. Alright, I'll go change." She says at first._

"_But just in case." She reaches towards my pants. I inch away._

"_Rena. What are you doing?" I ask trying to keep my composure._

"_Hm? Checking here." She says innocently._

"_Why?" Right about to break._

"_To see if you're telling the truth." Rena smiles brightly._

"_Why does that matter!" I get up and push her off the bed._

"_Nya~"_

* * *

September 15th, 2014. Homeroom Class 7:05 am.

_Raven's POV_

"Alright. We're stopping there!" Aisha stretches.

"Yeah." Chung agreed.

"Well. Let's just see how this day goes." I ended our conversation and we wait for class.

* * *

3:30 pm. Principal's Office.

"Is this true Elesis?"

"Yes sir. It seems Ara Haan is making her debut soon."

"I see then."

"Did you foresee this happening?"

"Well. I would be lying if I said I didn't have any sort of underlying hints. Ah, well. This is a good time to evaluate both of them I suppose. Elesis."

"Yes sir?"

"You're going to be overseeing their duel, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Then. I would like you to add some additional rules to the duel."

"What rules?"

"In order to correctly evaluate them both in various situations, I think it's best to add these rules…"

"1. Elsword cannot use Conwell for the duration of the fight until I say so.  
2\. The force barrier for the duel will be amplified so that whenever someone is injured in any way, a shock effect will occur on both persons.

And finally… 3."

"Heh?"

"Do you understand Elesis?"

"A…a… … Ahem. I understand sir."

"Good. Well, I guess we should be preparing now. Come along dear."

"Yes sir."


	13. Ch 10xx: Velder Junior High Pt 1

**Hi everyone. I am sorry I have not posted a new chapter in... forever. I had a REALLY important huge computer science project and because of the certain topic I had for it, the program was complicated for me and I had to ask a ton of other friends who program for help and it was pretty stressful. I had to go to a few christmas parties, birthday parties, and attend a funeral. So, I am sorry, really, for not posting another chapter. It was agonizing for me too, so... Yeah. I had this chapter started right after I posted my last chapter, but I only spent a few minutes ever since up until maybe two days ago. Now, I completed my project, just need to do a few more tweaks on it and do some presenting and what not and I'm finished with that class basically. Fun huh? I also have a lot of lab reports and history assignments, but those will not bide up a lot of my time like my computer science, so if you still want to read more of this fan-fic, have no worries ^.^. As planned however, I will start on the main story once again with this chapter being posted. This chapter is gonna be segmented into parts as it is going to reveal a bit more background on Elsword and friends and give even more character to them. So, as always. please enjoy reading and keep following for more!**

* * *

_December 4__th__, 2011. 7:12 am – Velder _

_Rena's POV_

"_Rena! Wake up dear! It's the first day of middle school for you!"_

"…" _I get up lazily and open my eyes._

_I look to my left and see my mother looking a bit frantic. I look at the time._

"_Calm down mother. I still have plenty of time to get ready for school."_

"_Maybe, but not to actually get there!" She retorted._

"… _I really think you underestimate how much distance I can cover. Fine." I hastily jump out of the bed and head towards the bathroom._

_It's been four months so far since everybody left. Right now the only person with me is Raven. These months have been really lonely for both of us, but we were able to make it up when we had spare time together. But, my heart still aches from not being able to see "him". _

_Today marks the first day of Velder Junior High. Although it was supposed to start in August, a few construction problems delayed it to today._

_I brushed my teeth, flossed, went to my closet to put on a white pleated skirt, green top, and white boots, and went downstairs to the dining room._

"_Rena dear! That is not the appropriate attire for school!" My mother shouted at me as soon as I entered the dining room._

…

_7:45 am – En route to Velder Junior High_

"_What's up Rena?" I hear Raven to the side of me as I walked towards school. He quickly jumped to my side and put his hands behind his head as he walked alongside me._

"_Nothing much. Just got lectured over my "inappropriate attire" for school." I sigh._

_Raven laughs._

"_Your parents are as strict as always." _

"_Yeah. How about you?" _

"_Hm. Not really sure what to say about my situation." Raven looks up at the sky._

"_Something other than them not really caring what you do around the house?" I squint my eyes at him._

"_Yeah… something like that." Raven smiles at me and I laugh._

"_Are you ready for school classmate?" Raven asks me. I look at him puzzled._

"_Classmate? How do you know that for sure?" I reply a bit unbelieving._

"_Ah. I was pretty much up and about the entire morning, so I already went to school and looked at our classes." _

"_Raven. When did you go to sleep last night?"_

"_Hm. From maybe 11:00 pm to 12:30 am?" _

"_I'm really worried about you now you know?" I look at him with bewildered eyes. He just laughs._

"_Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself just fine. You should worry more about yourself." When he said that, there was a nuance in his tone. He still kept his smile though._

"_What do you mean by that?" I ask a bit worried._

"_Don't pay it much mind. We should hurry though, we don't have much time left." He starts speeding up._

"_Hey!" I try to get him to stop, but he pretty much ran away from me._

_I wasn't able to get an answer. It was strange how he said that. It really bothers me right now. … Oh well. I won't be able to get the answer out if he's so adamant about it. I should just forget about it._

_I quickly sprint to school, eventually passing Raven and leaving him in the dust with a mocking gesture as I pass by him._

_8:00 am Velder Junior High – Hallway B_

"_Wow. We made it with quite a bit of time to spare!" Raven remarks a bit surprised._

"_Yeah. Would have been even more if you weren't so slow though." I say condescendingly._

"_Well you were always the fastest out of all of us anyways." Raven says scratching his head at me._

"_That's true. Can't hold that against you."_

"_Yep! You were always the most attractive as well!" He grins at me. _

_Taken aback from the comment, I blush a little._

"_Eh?" I managed to get out softly._

_Raven gestured around us. I look around and see that a lot of the guys were in a large group whispering and goggling at me. _

"_Whoa! That girl is really cute!"_

"_Ah… it's like an angel has descended upon us!"_

"_God please! Allow this humble human to be bestowed blessings to hold her hand in marriage!"_

_Okay… middle school kids sure have grand dreams._

"_Ahaha…" I laugh awkwardly._

"_Well. You're quite popular yourself." I also notice a bunch of girls grouping up and goggling at Raven._

"_Wow, he looks so bad!"_

"_He's so muscular and handsome!"_

"_I bet he would be really fun to hang out with!"_

_Somehow… this is a lot more normal._

"_At least they have more innocent thoughts than the boys." I say with a sigh._

"_Looks like it's going to be an interesting three years here, huh?" Raven smirks._

"_Yeah…" I reply._

_Everything still feels empty when everyone is not together._

_The hole in my heart is a huge burden on me. It will not be filled in for quite a while… I'll have to get used to this feeling. At least this is not the worst case scenario since I have Raven with me. I guess I should look on the positive side like that._

_8:45 am Velder Junior High – Classroom B-3_

"_WELCOME CLASS!" An energetic voice booms throughout the classroom._

"_I hope you're all ready for a GREAT 3 years here at Velder Junior High nya~! Are ya nya~?" A very loud and chaotic voice booms throughout the classroom._

_In front of us was a very strange teacher. An extremely strange teacher. First off… I have no idea what she was wearing. She had a maid outfit with a noticeably short skirt and nekomimi along with a tail. As she talks, she makes hand gestures and adds a "nya~" at the end of her sentences. I mean, not that it isn't cute or anything, but… a teacher._

_I look towards Raven. He's just laughing as hard as he could. I look at the class in general. Everyone is just too shocked at the moment like me._

"_Oh? Shy aren't we nya~? Don't worry don't worry! I don't bite… hard. *slurp*." She immediately turned from cutesy to a threatening seductive tone. I can actually feel goose bumps from me and the entire class. Raven is still laughing._

"_Ahaha. I'm just joking. Well, at least it seems one person is having a joyful time!" She says that, but I can see her ears twitching and tail wagging a lot. I can't help but smile though. A crazy, yet somewhat warm teacher in a school that's supposed to be strict. I'm a bit more scared, but still a bit relieved. _

"_Well. Let's start class now, alright?" She raises her hand up high. Everyone hesitates a little at first and looks at each other, but they all give in and raise their hands as well with a loud "Yeah!"_

"_Nya!~" The teacher replies._

"_Oh by the way. My name is Professor Nekorami. But! You may call me Neko-sensei! Nya~" _

… _Somehow, something cracked as soon as she said that._

_9:50 am Velder Junior High – Courtyard_

_Raven and I head out to the courtyard as soon as class ended so we can just explore the school together. We both kind of talk about miscellaneous topics like how school seems so far and what we expect in the future. We kind of touch on wondering what everyone else was doing. I was a bit sad, but Raven quickly assured me. But mainly just random things we had on our minds._

"_Are you serious? My parents won't even let me do anything like that!" I exclaimed._

"_Well. At least you know you got good parents!" Raven scruffles my hair and I try to swat him away. We both chuckle and laugh a good time. However, our Neko-sensei stopped us in our tracks._

"_You two!" With her energetic voice, she stands in front of us with her right hand in our faces. It was kind of hard to take her seriously with her outfit and the contrast of her "intimidating" pose._

"_I need to talk to you both. Privately." Before she said privately she looked around a little suspiciously and stared straight into our eyes. _

"_O-okay?" I answer a bit shaky. I felt like something bad was going to happen. Raven felt it too._

_We both follow her to a small garden hidden to the side of the courtyard. I couldn't hear anyone around, so I assume that it's sort of a secret spot._

"_You both have interacted with a boy named Elsword Sieghart, correct?" She had a poker face on, not yielding any emotions at all. She didn't use her oh so cutesy voice or anything, but a melancholy, straight tone. _

"_Yes. What about it?" Raven boldly answers. Neko-sensei closes her eyes and takes a deep breath._

"_I see." She looks up at us and instantly I felt a killing intent from her._

"_I would prefer for you both to forget about that boy and any interactions you've had with him in the past." She says with her bright, yet tainted smile._

"_Why?" Raven promptly asks. I was so startled by her statement, but Raven was able to maintain his composure._

"_You are both aware of his… ahem. Current status known to the world. Having any connection with that boy is just a sad omen. This is inappropriate, especially since I am sure you are both going to apply for El High School. Having a history with him will only result in a bad review on both of your transcripts. I would prefer not to see students of your caliber not be accepted into El High for such a petty reason." In her eyes I could see sympathy as well as disgust._

"_Why would you care so much about something like that?" Raven again promptly asks another question. I could not really tell if he was angry or just bored with her already._

"_Because I am your teacher. Is it not the teacher's duty to guide their students towards a successful future?" She was wiggling her butt out as she said that… I really cannot tell whether I should take her seriously or not. By now, I think all my shock is replaced by exhaustion._

"_I see. Can't argue with that logic." Raven nods his head and takes my hand. He turns to leave and we start walking away._

"_But I can argue that brainwashing kids and forcing them to do things outside of education and into the fields of personal morality and judgment is out of the question." I look back at Neko-sensei who stared at us with a satisfied expression._

"_That teacher…" Raven starts saying something. He quickly picks up his pace and actually is pretty much dragging me around._

"_Is very interesting."_


	14. Ch 11: Elsword Vs Ara Pt 1

6:05 pm. School Entrance

_Clink! Clank! Swash! Zing!_

After Ara dashed towards me, she swung diagonally down to the right and then started to circle around me as she kept swinging around her spear in odd directions. It was really hard for me to keep up. She was too fast and all of her movements were hard to read and predict. Honestly, from the outside, I bet this looks like I am just guarding randomly while she is just circling me. I really was though.

_Oye partner. You're not going to get anything done if you keep on being on the defensive you know?_

I know that. But what am I supposed to do if she's so fast and I can't even understand her attacks?

_Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!_

… What?

_Fight. Dive in. Make mistakes. Adapt._

Are you crazy? I'll be killed if I make even one mistake!

_Not if you can make the mistakes at the right moment!_

At the ri- HOW AM I EVEN SUPPOSE TO CONTROL WHEN I MAKE A MISTAKE?

"What's wrong Elsword? You aren't being as vigorous as I thought you out to be." Ara said with a disappointed tone while still circling around, barraging a series of attacks at me.

"Tch, shut up!" I decided to try seeing what Conwell was trying to tell me and swung in an arc to try and push her back. She saw it coming from a mile away and immediately jumped back as soon as I even started preparing to swing. She was at literal distance of just the tip of my sword.

_Force Spear_. She thrusts her spear and an energy bolt charged at me. I couldn't dodge it.

_Explosive Fist._ I charge magic in my hand and tried to see if I could block it. The bolt made contact with my hand and a small explosion followed. A fume rose and it was just enough to cover my body if I crouched. I did so and quickly sprinted out from the left side of my original position.

_Wait. Don't move!_

What?

_Listen._

I listen to Conwell and stopped right before I could exit the smoke. It was clearing up just a bit, but not enough for me to be able to see anything. I close my eyes and listened. A surge of wind was coming above me.

_Shadow Press._ I jump out away from the smoke and look back. A wave of black energy shot out from where I jumped and I guarded it with my sword. The smoke went away along with the wind and I see Ara kneeling down with her spear impaled into the ground.

Seeing this as a chance, I quickly dash forward. I was able to get within distance and swung down with minimal strength. Ara pulled her spear up quickly and blocked my attack.

I notice something wrong. I wasn't putting that much strength into it, so Ara should have been able to retaliate easily. I wanted to bait her into using a lot of strength so I'd have time to cast, but she isn't resisting…

_Take notes Elsword. You should always be learning more about your opponent. This girl is already predicting your moves._

What? But I've just started going on the offensive!

_Don't underestimate your opponents. If anything, you should always assume certain things and even overestimate them. Especially since you've already had a taste of how strong she really is._

Even so… this is ridiculous!

Ara… was matching her strength to mine. Dammit, even if she is kneeling down still, I'm still in the lower position. Well, in that case, I just have to work harder right?

_Sword Enchant_. I put all my strength into pushing down on Ara and try to focus putting magic onto the swing. Ara didn't react to this and instead let me push her down further. I was able to get my sword on fire, but as soon as I did Ara was able to jump out right before the flames came out.

_Well then. That's not good._

Ara raises her hands.

_Phantom Fox Stance 1: Savor._ She slashes the air and I can see slash marks come at me. Again, I couldn't get out of the way. It lands on my chest and it felt like it was sawing through my flesh.

"Aghhh!" I scream out in pain as I land flat on my back. I look at Ara who seemed to be mumbling something to herself with her eyes casted downwards.

"Dammit…" I get up, fighting against the pain, and steady my pose. Ara raises her spear and charges at me.

"Alright. If that's how it's gonna be…" I lower my posture a little bit. I can tell Ara senses something different, but no point in pondering about it. I quickly dash towards her.

We both clash with equal strength. Ara is blatantly observing my moves. I break away and start to swing my sword in an arc shape. I make it a bit low so it seems Ara can attack from above. She points at spear directly at my head and stabs.

_Roll._ Glad she took the bait, I evade the attack and land behind her.

_Assault Slash_. Before she could react, I was able to quickly stab her abdomen and stun her a second.

I begin to deal a barrage of attacks, not letting her break free from it. I kept swinging my sword, getting faster and faster with each attack. Eventually, I felt "it" changing, so I ended my barrage.

_Unlimited Blade._ I swing 7 strikes against her, with my final one being a complete arc around me knocking her down.

Everyone around me is cheering in surprise.

"Whoa! He was so fast? What was that?"

"Kya~! That looked so cool!"

"Please marry me!"

_Really now… What is wrong with these kids?_

I don't… know?

Well… it looked like I did quite a lot. Unfortunately, partially right and wrong…

Ara slowly gets up on her feet, moving around as if it was just a few light scratches.

"A little quick on our feet, aren't we?" She smiles whole-heartedly at me, but with bloodlust.

"But it does not seem you put much strength into it?"

"Well. You have to pay a price for speed right?" I smile back at her.

"True. I do suppose you would have to, if you did not have the proper training." I got a bit irritated.

"Alright then…" I change my posture again with my sword on my back. I keep my body low still.

Ara gets in a defensive stance.

_Be careful. Try to read her mind. The first step to winning this battle…_

Is to understand her.

I charge in trying to maintain the speed I had before. I use a bit more energy than usual.

Ara is going to try to block my attack and break it away so she can strike right after. However, this time…

I swing downward and we both clash once again. Ara tries to fend off my attack, but she finds herself stuck as she squirms around. Slowly, my weight starts to overcome hers. Realizing what is happening, she tries to escape by jumping out, but I didn't let her. I quickly place my foot on top of her foot to trap her.

"Oh no!" Ara panicked.

_Now's your chance! Your opponent is confused!_

"Let's see if you can handle this!"

I push a large amount of force down on Ara and move back a bit.

_Double Slash._ Ara was to slow to recover from the great amount of force and I was able to finally damage her. I swung down with all of my strength and smashed her down flat on her chest. I take more time to charge up my second swing. I swing a little diagonal as Ara tried to jump out. It makes contact and I send Ara flying a distance, sliding across the ground.

The impact was great enough to completely shatter the ground along the lines of her side and create a clean, slim hole along where she slid.

Did I do it?

_Don't make the same mistake as her._

Don't tell me...

Ara, once again, slowly gets up and resumes her idle posture. She does cough a little, but it almost looks as if it was the same result as before.

"You cannot be serious! How can you take that much damage without even being at the least bit tired?" I shouted out confused.

"Eheheh… well. Let's just say I'm not normal." She smiles whole-heartedly like before.

Not normal?

_Ah… so she is…_

What? Do you know something about her Conwell?

_No time. You need to fight._

Tch.

_It seems like your full power alone will not be enough to fight her. She truly is far more experienced than you._

Far more experienced?

_She's completely out of your league. I think you need to surrender this duel._

Are you kidding me? Why would I surrender? Everyone is here looking! Even Rena! I can't back down!

_Elsword. I understand your feelings, but continuing this battle is futile. She will drag you around like a ragdoll. She is not an opponent you can fight on equal terms, nor will she in many years. _

Screw that! I'm not going down without at least trying!

_You've already tried. You gave it your all. It did not work. So stop it now. Have I not already told you before? Sometimes, it is best just to watch from afar. In this case, that logic holds true. A brave warrior will take on this challenge without hesitation, but a great warrior will know when to back off without hesitation as well._

Dammit…

"I…" Ara looks at me sharply.

I can feel everyone's stares piercing me.

"I surrender." I grit my teeth.

"Elsword?" Rena calls out shocked. I look up at everyone who is just completely astonished by my withdrawal.

"I… cannot win." Ara is taken aback as well, but she smiles and nods.

"Yes… a brave warrior will fight, but a great warrior will also back down when needed."

_See? Told you._

Shut up!

"Denied." I open my eyes wide along with Ara and we both look towards the voice.

"This battle does not permit a surrender call. You both must fight until the other is unable to continue fighting." Elesis says with a solid resolve.

"Eh?" I yell out in surprise.

"B-b-but. I can't even fight anymore! I can't even damage her! Come on! There's no point to this right?" I panic.

"Hey. Big sister! You'll let me right? For your little brother?" I try to sweeten her up, but she looks at me with a very very VERY scary face. I can't tell whether she was trying to hold back something or whether she was really angry.

"I'm sorry, little brother, but I cannot let you do that. The principal has already decided such rules for this duel. I have no say in the actual dictation at all."

"Old man Xerath?" I look towards him.

"Well now. Quite a surprise! Hot-headed Elsword is turning down from a fight? Not very like you. It is true that in times like these that knowing when to back down shows the vigilance of the person, but this is not a life or death battle now is it?" He smiles at me.

_That old man. This is not going to end up pretty._

Well… it was the original plan anyways.

"Alright then. I understand. Let's keep going Ara!" I muster up all my energy.

"Agreed." She politely answers and resumes her position.

What do I do now though? I already used my heaviest single target move on her. But that is not enough.

_From one direction._

What?

_I have noticed that you only strike her around one area from one direction. You never tried attacking from multiple spots at once._

You don't mean…

_Maybe she has been channeling energy towards the spot you were attacking and cushioned it?_

Then… in order to really hurt her.

_You'll have to completely assault her from every direction._

Alright then. Here goes…

I charge once more at Ara. I get within a certain range, not close enough to hit her, but far enough to not let her touch me.

_Armageddon Blade_. I form a large aura around my sword and swing at her. It was well than close enough to engulf her in the aura. She jumped away a short distance to barely dodge the attack… as expected. I chuck my sword at her. Again, she barely dodges it, but she was airborne… so like this.

_Explosive Fist_. I jump up and ram my fist downward. She blocked it with her spear, but we both ended up crashing downwards. I think I did it a bit too hard though… because… darkness.

We both collided with the ground and a bunch of dust formed around us. I felt heavy, so I couldn't move for a bit. After some time, it cleared up and I raised my head up.

"Dammit. I used too much strength. Are you alright Ara?"

"Kya!" Kya? Now that I think about it, I felt something really soft in my hand. I squeezed it a few times.

"Mmmfh! E-Elsword… I" Ara's voice sounded unusually sheepish. I look down to see Ara right below me… in a… erm… interesting pose?

_*whistle* that fanservice though._

My leg was right under her crotch while I was completely groping her breast with one hand and my other hand on top of hers. Yep… it looked basically like what it looked like. I was raping her… unconsciously… involuntarily… not of my own will… all an accident… please don't kill me after this Elesis and Rena and possible Aisha…

"AHHHH I'M SORRY!" I quickly jump off of her. And… que the students.

"Ah! Pervert!"

"Whoa Elsword! A hero!"

"Ah… it would be nice if he attacked me like that too! Take me!"

What th- Wait, I'm pretty sure that last one was a guy.

I hear sniffling across and look at Ara. She was… crying.

_Oh darn, you made her cry. You're going to have to take responsibility now Elsword._

What!

_You broke taboos. You made a girl cry, and you touched her body. You're probably going to end up marrying her._

Whoa whoa wait… Okay first of all, if we follow that logic, I already have Rena to marry! Second of all, WHAT KIND OF OLD FASHIONED LOGIC IS THAT?

_I don't know… I mean. I didn't live for hundreds of years now did I?_

...

_Also, I'm pretty sure polygamy is a thing still._

I, am not that kind of person Conwell.

_Hmm. She might be though._

I look at Ara once more and see her trying to mouth some words.

"Um. Uh… Elsword?" She looks up with her watery eyes and with such a soft aura around her.

"Yes!?" I answer back alert.

"I… I'm fine. B-but… you know what this means right?"

Wait a minute… don't tell me.

"Uh. Well. I'll have you take responsibility for this. Okay?" She timidly smiles. Holy crap, her smile can cure anything can't it?

… Can I just go kill myself now?

_No. _

Why?

_I think three other girls have it covered for it._

I look towards the three girls he was talking about.

Elesis was smiling, but obviously fuming in rage. Rena was looking down clenching her fist. Aisha was pretty much sending "you're dead" vibes at me. Everyone else is condemning me for making her cry.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT! CUT ME SOME SLACK ALREADY!" I yell in complete frustration.

Ara stands up slowly, still blushing and with her breasts covered.

"W-well. We should probably finish the duel now." She takes a deep breath and already gets in her position once more.

"Ah. All right." I pick up my sword and get ready as well.

_This girl really has her priorities set._

Yeah. She is a scary weapon.

_I know what you mean. But what are you going to do now? It seems like your plan back there won't work a second time._

I don't know. But I have to think of something quick. I'd rather not just sit down accepting my loss if I really have to keep fighting till the end.

_Hm._

I stand contemplating about how to go about this. I already pulled quick moves and heavy moves on her. I don't think I can do anything else other than that. She won't fall for traps or any fast pulls like that anymore. I highly doubt she will run into any of my magic attacks. What is there to do?

"Just lose then." I look up and Ara closes in on me before I could blink.

"Don't worry. I'll make this a painless as possible."

"Oh crap!"

_Roll_. I try to get out of the way, but right before I roll to the side, Ara stabs my leg. I couldn't move.

_Sword Wave._ Trying to counter before the pain overwhelms me, I swing my sword in an arc and try to hit her with an energy wave, but she moves away.

"Now then. No more games. This is the end for now Elsword." She has a solemn expression on. It looked so peaceful somehow.

_Rakshasa Stance 3: Spear Prison. _A bunch of dark energy spears fall from the sky and land, creating a sort of prison around me. I felt shocks from everywhere channeling from the spears.

"Guh… dammit!" I look above at the sky and see a large spear heading towards me.

"W-wait! You can't be-" Before I could finish though, the spear collides onto my chest and then…

_Ah. You lost._

Yeah… seems like it.

"I see. So this is the power of the one who wields Conwell?" She slowly looks at me with a mixture of depression and pity.

"A bit disappointing." She gives me a weak smile and lowers her spear.

_Hah. You get beat up by her and now she's talking down to you. Honestly, I understand her viewpoint of things. This really is kind of pathetic._

Hey! Cut me some slack!

_No. I will not. She is actually right. It is disappointing to see someone who is supposed to be the little brother of one of the most talented swordsman in this country and the wielder of a legendary sword get beat down so easily by some random girl. Look at it from a different perspective. If you saw yourself from anyone else's viewpoint, would you not think the same as well?_

Well…

_Ah… Well, don't let it bother you too much. You just need to train more. Then you'll be able to start winning fights._

You… what happened to just letting it go and withdrawing?

_True. But you are fighting right now and it is best to assess the situation. Right now, you are losing due to the lack of training that you really needed. You may have trained hard for the past few years, but it seems that it was not efficient enough. And the one at fault is only the person himself, you._

At that point, I felt something snap inside of me. I have never felt so offended in my life. I have never felt so useless, so betrayed, so angry before. I usually always brush off everything or get temporarily crestfallen about it. This time though, it was completely different.

_Elsword?_

_Ara's POV_

"Well. I think this should be the end of the duel. It's my win I believe."

"…"

"What's wrong? It is obvious that he cannot continue fighting."

"Oh I would not be so sure about that. I think Principal Xerath agrees."

"Indeed. You would think an insightful warrior such as yourself would have already seen that."

"What do you mean? He's still…" Wait. What is this dark aura?

Elsword is still standing up tall. But something felt off. His head was hung too low so I could not see her face. But I felt bad vibes creeping out from him. Something was daunting me.

"Hey, Ara…" I flinch.

"Are you ready…?" I raise my spear up and get prepared.

"For round 2?" Elsword finally raised his head up. He was grinning widely. His face kept twitching and was contorting itself. It's finally here. I could feel it. His dark feelings. His frustration. His desire to fight. He was bloodthirsty. This, was his bloodlust.

"This time. I'll make you feel pain!"


	15. Ch 12: Elsword Vs Ara Conclusion

6:35 pm. School Entrance

"I'm ready Elsword!" I firm up my stance and wait for Elsword to make a move. I anticipated another quick dash from him, but surprisingly… he only begins to walk towards me.

He keeps his glare tightly locked onto me. I was not sure what he was trying to get at, but I did not move an iota. I kept on waiting for him to do something, but instead of something flashy or quick he only slowly got closer to me.

Another direct attack? No… he must be aiming for something. Maybe he's just trying to get me off guard? As he got closer and closer, I started to slowly inch backwards. His pace was still the same, going straight forward for me, putting his sword on his back as I started to place more distance between us.

"What's wrong Elsword?" I ask a little hesitant. He stopped moving for a few seconds and then continued on his pacing.

Maybe he's just trying to intimidate me? I'll try seeing what will happen if I just let him walk towards me.

I took another stance and waited quietly for Elsword to approach me. As soon as we were face to face, he stood there, emotionless. I tried to stay firm to show no weakness, but I felt an uneasy aura coming from him. Finally, he raised his sword to swing downward. I jump to the side to dodge the attack. It looked as if he was not putting much effort into it… but.

_Crash_

A large cracking sound followed by debris going everywhere rang everywhere as his sword made contact with the ground. A lot of the debris was aimed towards me, I had to quickly step even further away and prepare myself. His sword was driven a little too far into the ground.

_Rising Slash_. Elsword slashed his sword upwards towards me, creating small patches of red to appear in a straight line under me. I jumped as high as I could. Giant swords came rushing out of the ground and I barely grazed one. I look down to where Elsword originally was, but he was gone.

_It seems you cannot think that far into his mind now._

What?

I sense Elsword directly behind me. I could not read his movements. How did he get so fast?

_Energy Wave._ I tried my best in order to try and counter his movement, but I did not have enough time to gather enough chi.

All my thoughts were crushed as his sword covered the sun above me.

_Sword Fire._ His sword stabbed straight onto my back and flames formed around us. He dove both of us into the ground and the flames diverged across the area. The pain was unbearable. I was caught off guard and did not gather my energy in time.

I turn and lay on my back, trying to catch my breath quickly. I see Elsword walk away and pant as well. Both of us were exhausted. All the damage that I was able to block off with my chi accumulated in that very last attack. I was careless.

"Well…" Elsword wearily starts to talk.

"That worked out pretty well." Every word weakened him little by little.

"So. Are you hurt yet?" He smiled at me with those same innocent eyes I saw before I came here. It somehow calmed me down and I started to become a bit more energetic.

"Yeah… you finally got me. Ahaha." I chuckle a little bit.

I try to stand up, but I lean on my spear as I kneel down.

"I guess… this is my loss." I smile at Elsword.

"Eh?" I open my eyes wide open.

"No… this is… mine." Elsword slowly drift unconscious.

"I used too much…" He completely fell to the ground and never got back up. This time, he finally did use up all of his strength.

"Elsword is unable to continue fighting. This victory goes to Ara Haan." I hear Elesis announce this loudly, her voice directed towards everyone that was watching.

Everyone cheered in great astonishment, commenting on how great the battle was.

"Ah! So close. If only he was able to get a few more in!"

"Poor Elsword! But who is that girl? She's so strong!"

"Ah… Ara-chwan!"

That… last one was disturbing.

_So. How do you think about that boy?_

Cute…

_Uh. What?_

Eh?

… _Ahem. How would you rate his prowess?_

Well. If I may say so, he is still at an amateur if we were to compare our technique. But, his strength and perseverance as well as judgment has merits.

_Mm. Well, I would agree. For only a portion of his full strength, he did pretty well against you._

Yes. But I think if we were to fight at full strength, we would still beat him and Conwell.

_A bit cocky now aren't we?_

What do you mean?

_You know. Without Conwell, this is not his full strength._

What? What do you mean?

_So you never noticed this entire fight? You never noticed how for the entire fight, even just now, his aura never had any intent to kill? Even more so, a lot of his movements were very hesitant until his bitter end. They were too indecisive and held little of his strength. _

Really? But… then wh-

_However, I do not think he is aware of his true potential. I'm sure that he thought from the very beginning that he was too weak to fight you without Conwell. _

Is that so?

_Well, your fighting style is unique to these people so it makes sense that they would take great caution. But Elsword's mindset must be a bit troubling at this point. Sigh… I feel bad for Conwell._

You know Conwell personally?

_Yeah._

How?

_Mmm… I think that will be a story for another time. When we do meet him. For now… you should probably go tend to him or something. Your "cutey"._

Eh? No. You're mistaken. That was…

_That was?_

J-Just… yes! Cute as in like an adorable pet!

_Hoo~. A pet I see? So you're going to take him in and caress as much as you want?_

Eun!

I look over to Elsword who is being swarmed by Elesis and his friends. Principal Xerath walks towards me.

"That was quite a battle." He says softly.

"Yes. Thank you for this opportunity." I bow to him.

"If you would please spare a minute of your time with me?" Principal Xerath asks of me.

"Yes?" I answer back, being respectful and curious of what he wants me for.

* * *

_Elsword's POV_

_Well. You did pretty well there at the last few minutes. You were able to finally break through her defenses._

Yeah. I feel pretty good about that.

_It's nice that you aren't too down in the gutters. Especially with what we both said to you._

Nah. You guys were right. I really am lacking a lot. But oh well, that's why I got to keep training.

_Quite optimistic despite me saying that your training regime was bad._

Whatever. I'll figure something out. Other than that, it's really convenient how I can talk with you even though I'm unconscious.

_This is the inner mechanisms of your mind anyways._

Even so, still good to merit it.

_So. What are you going to do now?_

I think I'm going to go find Rena and just hang out with her.

_What about Ara?_

What about Ara?

_Uh. Is she not going to have you take responsibility?_

… What.

_Remember? When you tried to launch her into the ground, you accidently did that?_

… Oh Christ…

_Yeah. What are you going to do now?_

Calm down. I'm pretty sure she is a reasonable girl. I don't think she was actually serious. She was probably just teasing me or something.

_I don't know about that. Even if there are girls out there who can do some convincing acting, those tears did not look fake to me._

Oh what do you know? It'll be fine.

_We'll see about that…_

…

* * *

_8:12 pm. Elsword's Room._

"El… yo… ay?" I hear a faint voice. It was a soft, angelic voice.

"Elsword?" It became more clear and… familiar?

"Darling…"

… When can my life be clean of this ridiculous romcom genre?

I brace myself before delving into the next hell I have to face.

I slowly open my eyes and see Ara next to me, closing in on my face… our lips almost touching.

"A…" I managed to get out.

"A?" Ara repeats in a question.

"Ara?"

"Yes?" She answers with a happy smile.

"What are you doing?" I ask her nonchalantly.

"Oh. I'm terribly sorry goshujinsama. I suppose I'm being a bit inappropriate now."

"Eh?" I jump at what she said.

"What's wrong? Are you still not well?" She puts her hand onto mine.

"Well?" I pull back my hand and move my body around for a bit to check for any injuries.

"I mean. I feel fine. Wait a minute. That's not what I was shocked about." I think I'm still just drowsy.

"Then what's the matter, goshujinsama?"

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Eh?" She looked surprised this time.

"Don't you remember? Don't tell me you lost your memory?" She started to look sad.

"From yesterday?" I recall on what happened… again… for the second time.

"Wait. You weren't actually serious back then, were you?" I ask a bit anxious.

"Um… well. At first, I really was just poking fun at you. It was nice seeing your troubled face." Don't tell me…

"But… after thinking about it. I might have… actually fallen for you a bit." She was blushing like crazy with a small grin. Honestly, I could not tell who was blushing more, me or her.

"Wait wait wait. I'm sorry, I can't do this though." Ara looks at me, still blushing, but a bit more confident.

"I know… that you are acquainted with Rena." She was still grinning.

"Eh? Then…" I ask still confused.

"But. It would not be bad to have more than one wife, right?" She gives me a grand smile…

"Okay, jokes aside, why are you doing this?" I ask her seriously.

"Well. To be honest. Principal Xerath asked me to do this." Ara finally stopped smiling and had a stern expression.

"Old man Xerath?"

"Yeah."

* * *

_6:48 pm Courtyard._

"_Ara. I would like for you and Elsword to start being together from now on."_

"_What?"_

"_Yes. I believe that if the two of you were to train together, then both of you would be able to level up to a brand new stage. But, you both need to be able to understand each other and become intimate. Of course, not the sort of intimacy that most young kids would imagine, dear no. Something along the lines of close friends. That's why I've decided that the both of you live next to each other."_

"_Is that really fine in the first place? Elsword's room is in the boy's dormitory. Also, I don't think that would be fine since he already has a girlfriend, right?"_

"_Ah, so you've already heard about that. Well, don't worry. This is on special grounds with special rules. Quite frankly, they have no right to go against my rules. Also, I am sure Rena would agree with me on this. Elesis is already on board with this plan as well. This is all to only help both of your abilities._

"_Well. If the Red-haired Knight allows this, then I don't have to worry about any obstacles!"_

"_My, aren't you gung-ho about this? Maybe you were looking forward to something like this?"_

"_N-No! You're mistaken. I mean, I'm not against it in any way but…"_

"_But you did not really question being with him at all. Only if it would be a problem to others. I wonder?"_

"_Ahh! I mean. Uh. Elsword is… Kaaa… Uuuu…"_

"_Well, I look forward to your cooperation."_

* * *

_8:15 pm Elsword's Room._

"So, from now on, I'll be your next-door neighbor and your partner from now on. Please take care of me!"

"Same here… as if I would accept that."

"Yeah… probably not." Ara chuckles a little. I sigh.

"Well. I guess it's fine if you're just here on his orders." I relax a little.

"I mean. It's not like that's all there is to it." Ara starts blushing again.

"What do you mean?" I look at Ara who seemed to be getting closer.

"Because… I wasn't lying. I really do think I've fallen a little for you Elsword." She starts to get on top of me. She puts her head on my chest and rests on me.

"W-W-W-What?" I become too flustered to think of anything. For some reason, although Rena does this a lot, this feels a lot more embarrassing.

"I know you love Rena… but is there really no room for me in your heart Elsword?" Ara looks at me with puppy-dog eyes. I started to lose the will to fight back.

"I'm sorry. I… only love Rena. And that's not gonna change!" I managed to stay firm to my heart.

"Hmm." Ara pouts so adorably.

"Well then. I'll just have to break my way through!" Ara confidently says.

"Break your way through into what?" I ask wearily.

"Into your heart! I'll make you fall in love with me!" She taps her chest with her fist.

"Give me a break…" I close my eyes and sigh, trying to calm down. I open my eyes to see Ara gently embrace me.

"Once again, please take good care of me, goshujinsama."

"Why are you calling me that?" I'm getting irritated now.

"Because, you're going to be my fiancée. It's natural to call you something like that, yes?"

"For one thing, no, you will not be my fiancée. Another thing, even if, IF, we were to be engaged, I don't think that merits a master to servant relationship."

"Master… to servant?" Without releasing her grip, Ara looks at me confused.

"… Ara. Do you even understand the meaning of goshujinsama?"

"Um. What you would call your male lover?" She smiles innocently.

"Who is teaching you these things?" I ask completely bewildered.

"The people at the shrine." She responds, still glee.

"Shrine?"

_Ara Haan, daughter of the Haan family, a warrior family that for generations has protected a sacred deity, the Nine-Tailed-Fox. She lived in the northern continents in the Xin Empire in a town called Fahrmann._

Wait. You really know about her?

"Ah. Would that be Conwell speaking?" Ara pulls back a bit.

_A few years back, it was said that the village was attacked by a demon army. The general was one who used to occupy the village. He had been corrupted by dark forces and sought out a gem. A little girl was the last survivor of that village. No one really knows much about what happened. But from what I can guess, someone intervened. Isn't that right, Eun?_

_It's been quite a while, Conwell._

_Yes it has. I never thought I'd see you again around this time._

_Well, the world is a small place._

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Well." Ara closes her eyes.

_Hm… well, let's talk for another time. For now… Ara! Hug him!_

"Understood!" Ara answers as if she was some soldier. She immediately lunged forward and hugged me.

"What?" I did not know how to react, because now I have too many thoughts in my head.

_You should probably try to get out of this room like, right now._

Eh?

I did not heed his warning… and… the door opens.

"Elsword, are you awake? I wanted to make sure you're able to go to class." Rena walks in.

"Oh, hello Rena!" Ara playfully greets her.

"Oh hello Ara." Eh? Rena answered calmly.

_This… is not going to be good._

_Well, it is either she is furious or she sees through this little coy, so let's see what happens._

"Well. It looks like the both of you are having fun…" Rena walks over to us and reaches out her hand.

"Or at least… it looks like…" Rena grabs Ara and tosses her across the room.

"ONLY ONE!" Ara recovered mid-air and landed safely.

"R-Rena?" I ask a bit scared now.

"Are you okay Elsword? Did she do anything to you? Did she take your lips? Don't tell me, she's taken your chastity?" Rena started to panic and at this point, I am just mentally breaking down.

"Rena. With all due respect, I am not that kind of girl." Ara replies with a smirk.

"Then, what kind of girl are you?" Rena asks, clearly irritated.

"Well. I'd like to say I'm a very patient girl. I'll be waiting for the day that Elsword and I are of proper age and we are able to endeavor in the sacred ceremony towards adulthood." Somehow, she made it sound so profound, that it was really just too innocent. Seriously, do girls like this really exist, or am I just hallucinating?

_No, this is 100% bona fide real._

_This boy thinks of very interesting things. His thought process and narration of everything is entertaining to read through!_

_I know right? Ahahaha!_

Conwell and whoever that lady is are both mocking me, Rena and Ara are making a giant fuss… yep that sounds like an average day for me.

"Well. In all seriousness. You're going to be helping Elsword train from now on, right?" Rena calmed down.

"Yes." Ara answers back, not as energetic as before.

"I see." Rena turns towards me.

"I guess we won't be partners anymore then, Elsword." Rena gives me a sad smile.

"I mean, it's not like that means we won't be able to hang out anymore." I tried to reassure her.

"Yeah. That's right." Her smile did not change.

Why is she so sad? We can still be together.

_I think she's more worried about how she is not helping you get stronger. In a way, this new change of pace is kind of an indicator of her inability to help you grow._

Is that so?

_Yeah. But, that's why you have to take action as a man. Work and be able to resolve her conflict._

Why do I feel like you're referencing something strange?

_Conwell was one to try and make these corny connections._

_Eun, I don't think you really have much to say either. You're always trying to follow in my footsteps to becoming a great comedian. Always hitting the books and watching my every move._

_Really now? At least I would not get tricked and played by such pitiful traps._

_Hoo… by the way… have you not been teaching this girl proper education at all?_

_What do you mean?_

_Goshujinsama? Really?_

_Ah… that was just to have some fun._

_Eun… you really are twisted you know?_

_Conwell… you really are a conceited jerk you know?_

_Touche. _

I have no idea how that conversation got to that point.

_Don't worry about it boy. Just know that, you're going to hear Conwell and I talk a lot whenever Ara is around._

So every day for almost every minute of my life?

_Exactly. By the way, since introductions have not properly been made yet…_

Silence…

_What? I'm supposed to introduce you?_

_Well, you're the only one that knows everyone here._

_Well I'm sorry your godliness. I do not think I have the great honor of even uttering your name._

_Well, I guess that's why you said it six times from the second Ara walked into this room._

_Well, you're so perspective aren't you?_

_Ah… you're giving me a headache. Oh well. I am the Nine-Tailed-Fox, a deity at the Fahrmann Shrine. People refer to me as many things, but I prefer Eun. Nice to meet you Elsword._

Nice to meet you?

_So, why don't you take Ara's hand in marriage?_

WELL THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY.

_Indeed Eun. You should hold back on your libido. Elsword is not looking for something that quick with someone he does not know well._

_Oh. But it seems like he's going to learn a lot of things about Ara. A lot of things._

_That you're going to orchestrate, correct?_

_Whatever makes you say that?_

_You're probably the one who even got her to do such things… you and your wicked teachings._

_Wicked? How dare you. I am a sacred being, one that upholds holy judgment on humans. How can I even be associated with such a word?_

_Because I know you are, and I know that you know that you are wicked._

You two are going to be very annoying, I can tell.

_Hey. I'm not the annoying one here. She is!_

No… no you're always annoying.

_Annoying your partner here? Now that's a shame for the great Lord Conwell._

_And you're teaching your partner such blasphemous facts._

_Now now… let's just put this topic for another day, shall we? We should probably deal with the situation right now anyways._

_Sigh… you… whatever, fine._

How long have I wasted just listening to you guys?

_About two minutes and twenty-one seconds?_

Okay, well then, that went by fast.

It seems like you guys are having fun here.

Wait, I can hear Ara?

Of course you can silly!

Actually, how does this thing even work when Eun and Ara are a separate body from us?

_You know… I'm not sure how I feel about that wording… but anyways. Just say it's a sort of telepathic connection me and Eun have that allows you both to do this. Hey, kind of convenient since now you and Ara can share some secret love letters together._

Ah! That's a great idea! Thanks Conwell!

_No problem!_

_Oho! I guess it's 3:1 now._

Why are you all going against me now…

_Well… 3:2 probably._

"Elsword… Ara…?" I snap back to reality and see Rena looking at us confused.

"How come you guys are just silently sitting? You got quiet really fast." Rena looked worried in more ways than one.

"It's nothing. Nothing at all." I scratch my head.

"Since class is soon, we should probably prepare to go out." Rena states.

"Alright. I'll just get dressed I suppose." I walk towards my closet.

"Ah. I should as well. They were able to send me my uniform!" For some reason, Ara had it in her hands.

"Alright. I'll be waiting outside then." I never noticed it, but Rena was actually already in her uniform.

I take my shirt off and start removing my pants, but I stop right when I gripped them.

"Ara?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you still here?"

"To observe you changing?"

"Why?"

"Eun said it would help me understand you more?"

"SERIOUSLY, WHAT IS THAT FOX LADY TEACHING YOU?"

"Well, I- oof." Rena grabs Ara's arm.

"Come on. A girl should change in her own room, not in another guy's." She drags Ara out of the room.

_It seems like fate just loves messing with your life Elsword._

I'll say. Sigh.

Well, at least I've made a new friend.

_A very cute and sexy one!_

S-Shut up!

* * *

**I'm sorry for this chapter a bit skewed. I never really thought it would be so hard to be able to write an extensive battle script without re-using a lot of different movements. It's also hard to input Eun's intuitive fighting combined with Ara's personality. So this chapter will be a bit strange and rushed, so sorry. At least we're getting somewhere!  
**

**Note: This story will now enter a new Arc on next chapter. So hype pls ^.^.**


	16. Ch 13: Ara Arc Start?

**Yeah, this chapter is gonna be a little bit short since it's gonna serve as a more lighter introduction for the new arc. Next chapter will return to 4~5k words and maybe even more as I'll be putting a lot more action and drama and maybe the same amount of comedy dulled down. Enjoy.**

**Reading Notes: *Tonkatsu = Deep Fried Pork Cutlet. *Tsukemono = Pickled Vegetables.**

* * *

Times change and a brand new world opens.

Whether it is for the better or worse, is up to you.

It is not anyone else's to decide

* * *

Times change and so does life.

Everything will always be changing according to fate's law.

We have little power to change it.

* * *

I'm going to **change everything.**

I wish to be able to **control fate.**

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 8:45 am. Homeroom ß

"We will be having a new student today class. Please welcome Ara Haan." So far this year, I think I have faced a lot of things that were just completely exhausting. Boy have I never been more wrong in my life.

"Nice to meet you everybody! I'm Ara Haan. Ranked 500. Nice to meet you all!" Ara bows in front of the classroom giving out that deadly smile of hers. I ignore what the students say since it's going to be two cliché lines and one obscene one.

"Now then… Mr. Ponwield. Please move your seat to the back of room. Ara Haan will be required to sit next to Mr. Sieghart." Ms. Riza already getting things off the bat.

"Eh? W-Why do I have to do that? Can't she just sit in the back of the room in that empty seat?" The boy who for some reason has a name protested against this decision… however.

"I'm sorry!" Ara quickly goes up to him and apologizes in a panicky mode.

"I'll just sit in the back. Okay?" She looks as if she was about to cry. Part of me can't help but wonder what her actual personality is, because I feel like half of her is just Eun messing with her or something.

_No. I think this is how she really acts._

Really now?

_A very clumsy girl who is extremely nice, but has a strong sense of justice. She's probably one to try and keep everything together, but fails miserably, which is where Eun covers up for._

When did you become so insightful and intelligent?

_Ever since I was born._

Riiiight…

"Ah…" The boy was obviously smitten with her.

"No, it's okay. You know what, I'll just sit in the back. You sit here Ara!" He quickly turned from sour to polite in a split second.

"Eh? Are you sure?" Ara asks for reassurance, still with puppy eyes.

"Yes! Definitely!" The boy nodded his head rapid fast and promptly moved towards the back of the class. Ara sits in the chair and looks at me.

"Um. Well then… I hope we can enjoy school together Elsword!" She reaches out her hand for a handshake.

"Ah. Same here." I handshake with her and I could already feel piercing glares from every angle. Again… not even gonna listen to what the students say.

"What's this? Going for another girl? Aren't you a lady-killer now?" I could hear Raven trying to stir up misunderstandings. I try to ignore it since I'm pretty sure Rena would not let it get to her.

"You should probably not joke like that Raven." Aisha reprimanded Raven, which is a bit surprising, but helpful I suppose.

_So. I'm assuming those are your friends, boy?_

Whoa. A bit random, but whatever then.

_Well, not like you're going to do anything in this class anyways, am I right?_

True…

_Hey! Don't be corrupting my boy here Eun! You tricky fox! _

_What are you even saying now?_

_I'm saying… we need to let Elsword concentrate on his schoolwork!_

_I… highly doubt this class would be teaching him anything he would actually be interested in…_

_Are you serious? He at least learns the basics of pretty much everything. Math, Science, History, and miscellaneous things!_

_Really now… is he really going to be using those facts at all though?_

_Yes he will!_

_How will you make sure?_

_I'll drill it into him if I have to!_

_You're unreasonable aren't you?_

_You're irresponsible aren't you?_

_You're just a party pooper aren't you?_

_You're just a procrastinator aren't you?_

_This is why the boy isn't going to be a likable warrior._

_This is why the girl isn't going to be a responsible warrior._

This is why I think I'm going to explode one day.

Well, they are old friends. I'm just this is just how they get along.

What part of this is getting along to you Ara?

They have a close bond Elsword. They have been friends for a long time.

_Elsword! Pay attention to class!_

HOW CAN I DO THAT WHEN YOU GUYS ARE BOTH BEING ANNOYING?

Elsword, calm down. You're being too loud.

Oh, I'm sorry Ara.

_The convenience of telepathy. Always a blessing with us._

_Indeed. We can mess around with the boy and Ara as much as we want like this._

_Agreed._

Stop having mood swings already…

Well, it's all in fun intentions, right?

No… I feel like it isn't Ara… I really don't.

Well, that's disappointing.

And like that, the homeroom class was just me listening to their nonsense while I try to find a way to bust my brains out.

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 10:00 am. Courtyard.

"Waaah!" Ara and I both walked down to the courtyard to see all the students gathering around in their individual club groups, recruiting and eating lunch. I took Ara so that she can find a club that she would like.

"There's so many interesting clubs here." Ara was genuinely surprised at the… regularly sized amount of clubs here.

"Uh. I guess? I mean, you usually see these types of things everywhere that provides education."

"Is that so? That's amazing!" She smiled like an idiot.

_Don't forget, this girl has been living in a shrine for a very long time. She doesn't really know much of the city or the city life at all. _Eun was speaking to me.

"That's right. I've never actually been outside of my village at all. Most elders would forbid me to even view further out of the forest because it was a haphazard for me." Eun gave a weak smile.

"So this is pretty much your first time seeing this?" I ask a bit saddened.

"Yeah." Ara takes a closer look at me. "What's wrong Elsword?"

"Nothing. It's just that, it must've been pretty lonely there huh?"

"Eh?"

"Well, from what it sounds, it seems like you've been secluded in that village of yours. You never got to go out and be free at all, have you?"

"Ah…" Ara looks down for a second.

"Yes. I never really had a friend that I could talk to or play with. Actually, I never really had anyone to confide with."

For some reason, I felt really guilty, yet something close to a connection with her.

_A bit like you, huh Elsword? Except, you had Elesis with you… and a family who hated you._

Wait, so Ara...

_No boy, not what you're thinking. Actually…_

"Actually, I never had a family." Ara's eyes looked strangely empty.

"I…" She look at me, with such lonely, sad eyes that I felt like they were tearing at me. She shook her head.

"No. None of that matters right now." She takes a hold of my hand.

"What matters is I'm here now, with you!" The way she can just say that without a care in the world, really makes me wonder…

"I'm really glad I get to be here, especially with you Elsword!" She smiles brightly against at me. I couldn't help but blush and look away.

"A-Anyways, what club would you want to join Ara?" I try to calm down.

"Mm… what club are you in?" I can already tell where this is going.

"I'm in the swordsman club and the study of magic club." I smile, already expecting something.

"Then! I'll j-"

"Denied." We both smile at each other in an awkward silence.

"Join the s-"

"Denied." Again, still smiling.

"Or the study of m-"

"Denied."

"Why?" Ara looks at me with teary eyes.

"Because, you're obviously just joining because I'm in them!"

"But, we're supposed to be together." Ara droops her arms low.

"But that doesn't mean you should push aside your interests and join a club you aren't even gonna use in the future."

"Eh?" Ara looks at me surprised.

"I understand that old man Xerath did want us to spend ou-"

_Whoa partner. Watch what you say._

What?

… spend our life together?

…

"He wanted us to work together, but that shouldn't mean you have to do something you are probably not going to be interested in. You should join a club that actually adheres to your style of fighting. I mean… you're finally out and free in the world aren't you? You should find things that you personally like." I scratch my head during the last sentence.

"Ah…" Ara looks at me with a stern look and then withdraws with a smile.

"You're right. Thanks Elsword!" You know, I wonder if it is too much to just say that she just smiles at me after every line. She smiled brightly at me.

"Well, I'll go look around then. I'll see you later Elsword." She walks away, actually jogging to look around. I sigh and start heading towards the school rooftop.

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 10:10 am. El High Rooftop.

"Welcome again, Elsword." I open the door to Rena's warm welcome.

"Yeah." I reply softly and walk over to where she was sitting, in the usual spot against the fence.

"Today…" Rena opens a bento box filled with tonkatsu* with rice and tsukemono*.

"Wow! That looks great!" I greedily grab it from her and break apart the chopsticks.

"Thanks for the food!" I start eating and I hear Rena giggling as she opens her box.

We eat for a while, quietly enjoying our lunch. Afterwards, I lay my head on Rena's lap and we rest.

"So, how's being with Ara?" Rena asks, still with her gentle tone.

"Quite tiring actually… Conwell and Eun keep on arguing over something trivial, and Ara is pretty much learning all the wrong things from them." I sigh a bit.

"Eun… is that nined-tailed fox deity, right?"

"Yeah. She does not act like one at all."

_Tell me about it._

"Well, at least you're able to still come here." Rena strokes my head.

"Yeah." I put my hand on hers. She intertwines our hands and slowly lowers her lips to mine.

"Hey, just wondering, but you've been really nice and calm."

"What, is it strange?"

"No. It's just that I thought you would be a little mad that I would have to spend time with Ara instead of you."

"Ah. That's what you were thinking about?" I nod my head slightly. She looks up at the sky.

"Well… it's true that we won't be together for long now, but at least I can still see you and feel you now. Right?" She smiles down towards me. I was at a loss for words.

"Ah, you're blushing." She pokes my cheek.

"I-I'm not!" I try to deny it, but my cheeks were burning a little.

"Don't lie." She's giggling now…

"Stop it." I say with a pout.

_Ah… young lovebirds. Such corny love we have here._

Oh shut up.

"Don't be a bad boy now. Bad boys don't get anything." She lightly pushes me, as if she was pushing me off of her. I cling on to her.

"F-Fine…" I sheepishly bury my face into her stomach and hug her.

"A bit bold now, aren't we?" She giggles more.

"I love you Elsword." She continues to stroke my head.

"Yeah…" My vision gets a bit blurry and starts to fade to black…

* * *

_Hey Conwell._

_What is it, demon fox?_

_Not a demon fox… is it really okay?_

_What do you mean?_

_Sigh… you are just so irritable, you know that?_

_Says the demon joker._

_Not a demon… this war has raged on far enough. Don't you think it's about time?_

… _Yeah. I suppose it is._

_Conwell. You've changed you know?_

_So have you, demon fox._

_My god… not a demon fox. But it is true, I guess we've both changed a lot._

_Yes… from those days. You, once was a dignified deity who would do her best to bless others._

_And you, once was a knight who could not tolerate disrespect and held honor highly._

_Yes… but now… I guess we're both very despicable people now._

_No, we're just more wise and controlled than those barbarians._

_Although, I'm not sure a demon fox has the right to say that._

_Ugh… whatever. Are we gonna go or not?_

_Yes. I suppose we should lend them a hand. This war probably has reached its limit._

* * *

I open my eyes slowly.

"Ah. You're awake now?" Rena appeared in front of my eyes. I look around and confirmed that I dozed off.

"What's the time?" I sit up and rub my eyes.

"10:42, we still have 18 minutes left of lunch."

"Ah… I see." I yawn and lean on Rena with our hands still intertwined.

"Elsword."

"Yeah?"

"Just wondering now, did Ara ever explain to you about when she said she would have you take responsibility during the duel?" I completely freeze up as I jump and look at Rena who was genuinely curious, without a hint of any underlying intentions.

"Ah… that was." I panic a little bit. Would Rena get mad? I mean, she isn't really mad right now, actually more accepting, but I can safely assume this means she does not know Ara's _other intentions_.

"Well, I just have to do a punishment for doing that to her basically, especially since she won the duel as well." I scratch my head.

"Ah I see. That's fine then. Because…" She kind of strengthens her grip on me.

"It would be quite a problem if some other girl was after you Elsword! Really… quite a problem!" Her face says pure happiness, but her hand was saying otherwise.

"A… ah… right." It was really painful and hard to even utter any words out.

_My condolences friend…_

Right… condolences… right.

The mood got killed just now, and I hopefully, but painfully wait for lunch to end so I can get out of this predicament.


	17. Ch 14: Meet Rank 9

**Hey guys. I'm sorry... again. This time being even more so for not saying anything for almost two months...**

**In these two months I've learned two VERY important life lessons...**

**1\. Never let your mother who has no knowledge about technology whatsoever touch your computer**

**2\. Always have back-ups...**

**My mom was doing something with my computer and whatever she did, I did not inquire her about it, it basically destroyed my computer. My registries were out of whack and some important system files were missing so... my computer was dead.**

**So yeah... for exact dates. Three days after I released the last chapter, 2-14-15, I was almost finished with this chapter with a whopping 6,611 words... but my mom went on that day so... I haven't had a computer for like 35 days. Yeah. Painful. I probably could have had the chapter released a week ago, but I also had multiple tests on the same week so... I can't flunk out. **

**So, I apologize greatly, especially for those of you who just despise authors like me. I really hope to make it up by releasing chapters a lot more quickly from now on. Now it is obvious that it will be a VERY hard task for me.**

**So all I can really say now is I'm really sorry for you guys who actually like my story. I'm still working on it so look forward to the next few chapters. I just hope you guys still read my story. So thanks you guys.**

**If you're wondering why I said I had 6,611 words before and now I have a lot less well... over the time I didn't have a computer, I forgot a lot of things so yeah...**

**Sorry for posting this useless drama, but just letting you know what happened.**

**Actual notes on what's gonna happen to the story as you'll read soon enough:**

**I'll be making some OC to fill the Knight of the Round. I was thinking about using actual Elsword characters, but I need specific designs so I'll just be needing some names. If you guys would be able to PM me some nice creative names that would be nice. I'm looking for 8 names right now. I like a little cultural diversity, so I was gonna have 1 male and female UK, 1 female Chinese, 1 male Korean, 1 female Japanese, 1 female German, 1 male American, and 1 male anything. Even more great if you guys could maybe sent in names that specialize with a certain weapon or element that is not fire or wind since I already have that set-up. So yeah, if you guys could do that, it would be great help. If you don't want to or don't care, then that's fine too.**

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 11:07 am. Spearmanship Club.

_Well, this is the most suitable club for you._

Agreed.

I stand in front of the door to the entrance of the spearmanship club, club associated with the way of the spear. Although my fighting style is most likely far above theirs, Elsword did say to join a club that would fit my tastes. I think I will be able to enjoy this place.

"Hello, my name is Ara Haan. I would like to join this club if possible." I ask politely.

All of the members in the club looked at me with awestruck gazes.

"Ah. You're that girl who had a duel with Elsword, correct?" A strong, quirky guy greets me. He seemed like a very confident man. He might be older than me?

"My name is Reeze, Reeze Lovett, ranked 127, nice to meet you. I am the captain of the spearmanship club." He extends out his hand to me. I take it with both hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Ara Haan, rank 500." So, he's a higher rank than me.

Reeze Lovett, a blue stiff haired man who is slightly taller than me. He wore formal garments with a long coat and turtle neck. He had fingerless gloves with black boots. His eyes were filled with the azure sky.

"It's a great pleasure to have you join our club. You have a very unique fighting style."

"Ah. Thank you!" I happily respond.

"Quite convenient too." He says closing his eyes.

"Eh?" I look at him confused.

"Ah. Nothing." He laughs.

_Hmm… interesting._

What's up Eun?

… _I thought I sensed someone else here who is a lot stronger than this guy. Ask this guy how they choose the captains of the club._

"Hey, how do you choose who is the next captain of the club?" I ask.

"Ah. Well, it's just a matter of who is willing to manage the entire group."

"Manage the group?"

"Yeah. I guess you've realized by now, that there's someone lurking around here who is just naturally strong." He points a little behind him and I see someone sitting on the floor with a spear in his hand. He appeared to be sleeping.

"This is rank 9, the Green Knight of Nine. Most people refer to him as '_Tranquillo Cavaliere_'"

"_Tranquillo Cavaliere_?"

"Ah. It's Italian for '_Quiet Knight'_".

"I see. That's a neat title!"

"Yes. Although, I'm not really sure if the name had any good-willed natured towards it." He says scuffling his hair a little. I look at him confused.

"Being rank 9, he would seem to be someone greatly respected, but everyone always feels apathy towards him. He never really associates with others. Not that he really cares or anything."

"Mmm… kind of lonely."

"Well, he does talk to some people. Not including me." Reeze hangs his head low.

"So what's his actual name?"

"Hm… let's see. Try asking him yourself."

"You sure?"

"Yeah! Can't hurt to try!"

I walk up slowly towards the so called Green Knight of Nine. As soon as I was basically right next to him, I kneeled down.

"Um. Hello?" I lean a bit closer to look at his face angling downwards. He slowly brings his head up.

"…"

"Um. My name is Ara Haan, rank 500. Nice to meet you!" I smile at him.

"…"

"Hello?"

"…"

We both stare at each other for a bit and finally he put out his hand. I hesitated for a second because I did not know how to react. I grabbed his hand thinking it was a handshake, but as soon as I did I felt immense pressure fill my body.

"I see…" He says closing his eyes. He lets go of my hand and the pressure disappeared.

"Nice to meet you, Haan-senpai." He bows his head a little.

"Eh? Sama? Eh? Eh?" I look back at Reeze confused.

"Oh! That's amazing!" He seems amused.

"Eh? What just happened?" I kind of panic a little. Someone stronger than me is addressing me in a strange way.

"Is he belittling me?"

"Ah no no. Senpai is a suffix used to address someone with respect. Mainly someone of higher rank. I think he's just being polite to you. It's Japanese culture."

"Ah. But… he's higher ranked than me?"

"Well, he's just like that."

"Well… okay then."

_Hm… looks like a boy you can "eat up"_

Eat?

_Ahahaha… I guess you don't understand that yet._

Geez…

"My name is Kawamasumi Ketsuragi. I hope you'll take care of me well this year."

"No! I should be the one asking that of you!" I panic a little again and bow towards him.

He takes off the hoodie that was covering his face. Immediately I felt a great presence fill the room. His mint green hair gave a calm, refreshing radiation and yet his eyes filled with the color of mantis felt so sharp and clear.

Those were the only features I was able to see because everything else was covered by a cloak and hoodie. But on further inspection… he was a lot shorter than me.

"Um… Kawamasumi?"

"Yes?"

"If you would not mind… how old are you?"

"I'm fourteen years old."

I knew it… he's younger than me!

_Ah… so that's why he addresses you in such a manner._

But… he's five years younger and he's at El High. That's too young!

_Well, it isn't so surprising to see young talents in this age._

That may be true… but still.

_But?_

Such an innocent looking boy in this day and age…

_Uh… Ara?_

So cute… so small…

… _Ara…_

Eh… heheheh…

_Oh lord…_

"Well then…"

"Hmm?" I look up at him to see his blade pointed towards me.

"Wait, Kawamasumi don't!" I hear Reeze shout out.

"If you would, let us duel?"

"Eh?" I panicked and could not really respond. He immediately thrusts his spear at me. It was too fast and I did not have even a second to react, but his thrust went to the side and just from it passing me I could feel a torrent of wind rush past my face. My eyes grew wide.

_This boy… Ara, run!_

My body felt numb. I did not know what to do. But my body moved instinctively and I jumped out the window. I could feel Kawamasumi jump after me.

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 11:31 am. El High Botanical Garden.

I landed in the botanical garden of the school. The aroma of the plants calmed me down a little and I look back towards Kawamasumi. As he landed, I looked at his eyes and did not know what to think exactly. It felt like a mixture of blood thirst, yet excitement. It was not scary, but at the same time it was very unsettling.

_Ara, go all out._

Eh?

_Use everything you've got._

Can I even win?

_Ah… so you're feeling the intimidation huh? Honestly… no._

Then what's the point?

_To fight someone who far exceeds your level. This will be a great learning experience for you. Besides, the best way to learn about someone is through fighting, especially someone like him. _

Learn about someone through fighting?

_You've felt it too right? His eagerness._

…!

"Then… are you ready Ara-sama?

"Yes!" I get out my spear and prepare myself.

"… as an authority of the law proceeded by the Gods of Elrios, let said Gods witness this trial upon which I requested. Pass judgment on our souls to who you have given and guide us in the correct path. I sanction this duel under the name of the Great One."

_Ara. Watch his movements closely._

"Let's begin." The moment his lips closed he vanished.

"What?!" I was taken aback. I could not trace him anywhere.

_Ara, behind you!_

I quickly turn around and push my spear outward. Kawamasumi slammed into me and pushed me back with great force. My spear was barely holding together as he rushed me with only one hand. As he kept pushing me, he brandished his spear at me. I use whatever strength I could muster and jumped a few feet back to break out of his charge.

"Ho!" He seemed amused.

"So then…" He jumped incredibly high, leaving a trail of wind below him. It looked as if a tornado was forming beneath his feet. In fact… there was one.

"You're… flying?" I was shocked by what I was witnessing.

He dove down towards and swung his spear downward.

I decided to counter it.

_Spell: Aerial Blades_

I lightly jumped and spun myself to throw spirit blades towards him. However…

He decided to start spinning in the opposite direction that I was spinning. We both collided with each other, grinding onto each other eventually decreasing our speed. I started to rapidly slow down against his more firm form and I was put to a stop.

_Dragon Stance 4: Moonlight Slash_

I tried to repel myself away by swinging my spear 360 degree around my waist. I was able to barely avoid getting sliced apart by Kawamasumi and I fell towards the ground. I felt more gusts of wind everywhere and I strangely started to accelerate as I fell. It was getting dangerously fast. Before I knew it, I was slammed into the ground.

I hear him land around five meters away from me. I got up from the ground and stood up wearily.

_He's no ordinary boy… he's been affected by Pure El._

Pure El?

_Yes. You know of how during the Great War that people have sought out great power in order to conquer more land?_

Yeah.

_Well… said great power turned out to be an actual source of power. The power to completely control El. El is the source of magic around this planet. Rather than energy we gather from the sun and nutrients we eat, it's like a supply of wilpower. It is what grants us the capabilities of specialized abilities._

Is that so?

_Yes. However, Pure El is highly dangerous as it has too much potent power. My question is now… why does this kid have it?_

Mmm…

"Kawamasumi?"

"What's wrong?" He lowers his spear.

"Hey… you would not happen to have gotten in contact with Pure El, would you?"

"…"

"Kawamasumi?"

"I'll answer you only if you can survive this next attack." He raises his spear once more.

"Ngh…" I flinch.

"… I accept." I felt uneasy and tired, but I did not want to give up.

_Imperial Hurricane_

"What?" He suspends himself up in the air and starts spinning his spear above him. A large torrent of wind gathers around him and engulfs him inside.

_Ara, get out!_

I start trying to move back, but something was sucking me towards the wind.

"_Fear the endless vacuum of the raging goddess of wind."_

I planted my spear in the ground and tried to hold on. The wind was getting stronger and stronger. The ground started to crumble under me and I was suspended into the air, hurling towards the wind. I did not have enough strength to do anything else. I try to maintain some sort of pose so I would be able to at least try to counter attack.

"I think that's quite enough."

_Imperial Blade_

I see a blazing sword cut through all of the wind and completely dissipate it. I felt someone's embrace around me and see Elesis holding.

Kawamasumi's earlier excitement faded away.

"Ara, are you okay?" Elesis asked looking very worried.

"A-ah… I'm fine. Just a little tired." I smile for reassurance.

"That's good then. Hey." She lets me down and looks at Kawamasumi.

"You need to really learn how to hold back, even just a little Kets."

"I'm sorry Knight of One." He looked very sorry.

"And how many times did I tell you not to call me that? Just call me Elesis." She sighed.

"Ah… I'm sorry." He hung his head down a little.

He started to look apologetic and regretful. I felt kind of bad for him.

_Feel bad for the little kid who was about to completely murder you._

I mean, it's not like he would have wanted to hurt me.

_True. You are that type of person anyways._

"Well. At least nothing bad happened, so everything is fine!" I pat Kawamasumi on the head. I felt him twitch a little and he moved back a little.

"Eh?"

"Ah. He's kind of shy towards direct contact, especially with girls."

"Then… does that mean?"

"Yeah, he's really shy for that reason. He feels uncomfortable being in close proximity with others." She looks at him for a brief moment, then at me and smirks.

"But it seems like he's fine with you."

"Really? … Ah that's right!" I get closer to Kawamasugi.

"Hey, Kawamasugi?"

"A-Ah, yes?"

"So, can you tell me about your ability now? How you got them?" He looks at me curiously, but then comes to a realization.

"Ah… the El?" I nod my head.

"I think I'll explain that for you." Elesis cuts in.

"But before that…" She points towards where a bunch of people were coming. "I think we should talk about that in private."

"Private?"

"Yes… this topic is classified, but I'll tell you since you do have an ancient deity with you."

"I see…"

_Classified information huh?_

Seems like it. But I wonder why?

_As I said before, El was a great power sought out by many countries. Being able to control such a great manifestation would bring its wielder godlike powers and no one would be able to stand against them. It is reasonable as to why they would keep it under wraps… I just wonder as to why this boy has it. If Elesis knows about it as well, then the same could apply to all the other so called "Knights"._

Mmm…

"Hey Ara! Are you alright?" Reeze calls out.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I wave back at him.

"Ah… that scared me. I thought he was going to seriously injure you." He puts his hand on his heart and exhales deeply.

I chuckle a little.

Reeze and the spearmanship club apologize to Elesis multiple times and Reeze scolds Kawamasugi. Everything got patched up in the end…

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 12:51 pm. Knight of the Round Council Room.

"Welcome Ara." Elesis greets me as I enter the room. Supposedly the room for the top ranked 10 people in the school, this is where the Knight of the Round reside. However, it seemed that it was just Elesis and Kawamasumi.

"The other eight are out on missions. They'll be back around next week, if you were wondering." Elesis read my thoughts.

"I see." I respond.

"Well then… I guess you would want to ask us questions… Eun." Elesis shot a sharp glare at me.

_Ara, I'll be borrowing your body for a second._

Ah. Okay.

"Yes… first off, every single knight has El inside them, correct?" Eun immediately asked as soon as she took possession of my body.

"Hm… the fox deity who lived through the Great War. You are correct. Every one of us have been in contact with Pure El." Elesis closes her eyes.

"Would you tell me the context behind that?" Eun smirks. I feel like she has some kind of twisted intentions, but I am not sure why…

"Well, where to begin…" Elesis stands up and reaches out her hand.

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 1:04 pm. El High Archery Club Training Grounds.

_Elsword's POV_

_As always, she's a banger._

What is wrong with you?

_Nothing. Just calling it as I see it._

Sigh…

Conwell and I are both watching Rena dueling the other archer members. She was pretty much the fifth best archer out of the other three hundred kids, so they would always put her in a ridiculous situation. A one versus one hundred… which made little difference. Considering that she was always going to-

"Win!" Rena shouts out happily with sweat dripping down her face. She walks towards me and wipes her face off with a towel. I blush a little, noticing that the sweat was defining her neck and collar region more so than usual.

"Great job." I stand up and congratulate her.

"Thanks Elsword!" She smiles at me and behind her I could see a lot of jealous stares piercing through.

One thing to note… apparently there is a list for the cutest girls and the most handsome guys. Rena is apparently ranked number 27. I'm ranked… number 925. Go figure. Oh, and the ranks for these are decided by both genders. Both. Genders. If you don't understand what I'm getting at… Both. Genders. Are. Interested. That is all.

Other than that…

"What's up? Your face seems a bit red." Rena asks in a playful tone.

"N-Nothing." I respond bashfully. Looking a bit closer, her white uniform with metallic paddings really defined her body since she was covered in sweat. Actually, on closer inspection, her bre- wait…

_Whoa, she's going commando?_

WHAT?

I was about to instinctively turn to the side, but did not want Rena to question me further, so I tried to focus on her face.

"Eh? Elsword?" Rena jumped a little, slightly surprised.

"Ah…" That must have looked awkward just now.

"Oh I see. You… pervert." She uses one of her hands to slightly lower her uniform, slowly uncovering her top.

"W-Wait Rena! Stop it!" I moved back a little.

"Eheheh. Don't worry, of course I wouldn't do it in broad daylight." She puts one finger to her lips and smirks terribly.

_Of course she wouldn't… "Tch"_

Did you just click your teeth?

_Yes._

Dammit Conwell.

"Anyways, do you want to go somewhere after I take a shower?" Rena asks.

"Oh, are you done already?"

"Yeah. It seems like you're doing nothing as well."

"Ah yeah… for various reasons." I scratch my head. She starts walking away and turns as she does.

"Tell me after I come back?"

"Yeah." I wave at her and she waves back.

I feel cold gazes towards me and walk a little distance away from them. I pretty much just found a bench somewhere and waited. After maybe ten minutes…

"You ready?" Rena appears in her school uniform reaching a hand out towards me.

"Yeah." I take her hand and she helps me up. We walk out and decide to go into town.

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 1:21 am. Hamel Capital.

"So, where are we going to go?" I ask Rena.

"Well… I wanted to do some shopping. So I hope that won't be too bad for you."

"Not at all."

"Great!" Rena smiles and I can't help but return a big grin.

Hamel Capital, the Central State City of Fluone. Basically the metropolis of Fluone. Fluone actually only has this city and two other villages. Hamel Capital makes up for 87% of this continent half. Lurensia has more villages, but it does not have anything larger sized.

In our supercontinent of Elrios, we have two separated continents, Fluone and Lurensia. Lurensia is kind of like a gigantic family where the villages daily interact and trade with each other almost every hour. They have strong ties and relations within the continent.

Fluone has a more urban and centralized lifestyle in comparison. Everything pours into Hamel Capital and here you can do anything you want. This metropolis has all the basic necessities of life and all the luxuries. Of course that means there is a price to pay. That price being that you have to be somewhat a genius to stay in the capital. Whether it be through brains or brawn, if you exceed certain requisites, then you are allowed the highest standards of living possible. If you do not, then you live a more degenerated, unattended life or you will have to migrate to the other continent.

There's always been this strange grudge between the two continents, hence why it was split in the first place. But no one really knows the truth behind all the conflicts. Everyone has certain speculations like the obvious "cultural differences" or their different stand points of how to maintain a society. Nevertheless, it is guaranteed that Fluone holds the better educational values and everyone wants to be able to live under that roof, regardless of whether they hate the community or not… like me.

"Elsword, hurry up!" I see Rena in front of me waving over.

Well, not like any of that matters to me, as long as I have what I hold dear.

_It's a wonderful feeling. To be able to have something you can hold close to your heart._

Some profound words coming from you now.

_You know, even I can be serious. And even I have had many experiences that can relate to yours. _

…

_Hmm? What's wrong?_

Nothing… sorry.

_Hmm… such a strange kid sometimes. Your thoughts are too disarrayed. _

Yeah. You're right.

I catch up to Rena and we walk hand in hand.

But again, not like any of that really matters to me.

"So, exactly where are we going?" I ask Rena.

"Just grocery shopping, and a little treat for you!" She put a lot of emphasize on the latter half.

"A treat?"

"Yeah. Look forward to it!" She looked really excited for something. I ponder for a bit, but just let it pass and decided to look forward to it.

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 1:43 pm. Knight of the Round Council Room.

_Ara's POV_

_Ara?_

…

_Ara are you okay?_

This… is just too much.

…

"Eun. I hope that you do not regret asking." Elesis said.

Kawamasumi looked at us with a more sullen look.

Then this would mean… next year or two, they will-

"The cruelty of fate… huh?" Eun asked.

"Yes. That is why this information is confidential. To the students, and more so to Elsword. So please Eun and Ara. Do not share this information to anyone. At least not now." Elesis's face was completely void of emotions. It was like an endless pit inside her eyes.

"I understand." Eun responded. Elesis's face slowly turned into a sad smile. She walked towards Eun.

"Well then, I think it's time for you two to go back to Elsword."

"Right, it probably is." Eun nods her head in agreement.

"Do not let it bother you that much… the time will come. But I know that they will be strong." I think Elesis directed that towards me.

…Yes Ma'am.

Eun smiles slightly and waves.

"Sure thing." Eun closes the door behind her and we switch places.

…

…

Eun.

_Yes?_

Is there nothing we can do?

…

Eun?

_No._

…

_I'm sorry._

No, don't be. I'm just a little emotional right now.

_How come?_

Well… because everyone with Elesis will…

_And Elsword and the others will be lonely?_

…

_But, is that not why they have each other?_

…

_Is that not why you are also here as well?_

…

_Ara, you yourself have your own priorities to take care of. But you also have your happiness to look out for as well. I do not really have any guidelines for you to follow pertaining to how to live your life. You yourself have to decide what to do and what will make you happy._

Eun…

_That's why, just do what you feel is best and what you feel is in your best interests, not anyone else's._

… Right.

_Then?_

Yes. I've decided. I'm going to be by Elsword's side.

_Mm… well, not like you weren't going to do that from the beginning._

Heh, I know right?

_Well whatever. Good luck._

Thank you, Eun.

_No problem… however._

What?

_Where would Elsword be right now?_

… Ah…


	18. Ch 15: What is Love?

**Phew. Sorry for delay. Please enjoy. Already decided how many chapters Ara's Arc will be :D.**

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 2:14 pm. Hamel Shopping District.

"Wow. This place has a lot of things in it." I remarked.

"Yeah. They don't call it a shopping district for nothing." Rena responded.

Rena and I went to go for some shopping… since we are in the shopping district. There were so many convenient items here though. It was just amazing to me. Tools, weapons, groceries, candy, food stands, and even games.

"Really though, why does such a place exist?" I said, genuinely surprised. Rena giggles at me.

"Oh Elsword. Well, I guess it makes sense. You haven't really been out to see the city have you? Or even learn anything about it."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. I don't think I ever got to leave the village at all. Only within the forest.

"Well, lucky for me!" Rena exclaimed.

"How so?"

"Because I get to share your "first times" with you! Plenty of them!"

"…" Rena's eyes were sparkling for some reason. I could not help but feel as if the connotation given off by that statement was a safe one or not.

"So what are you buying anyways Rena?" I asked.

"Hmm… let's see… right now I need chicken, pork, avocados, lettuce, beansprouts, rice, octopus, sausage… let's just say a lot of things." She chuckles a little.

"Whoa. Why so much?"

"Hm?" Rena looks at me confused.

"I mean…" I just give her an awkward smile.

"Ah… well, for us!"

"What? All this?" I was completely taken aback. All this food just for us?

"Yeah! Since I'm going to be making our lunches, I have to get a lot of ingredients! Especially if I want to learn how to make some of your favorite dishes." She seemed a lot happier than she really should be… I think.

"Are you sure? Isn't it a hindrance to always cook for me eve—"She cuts me off.

"Absolutely not! I love cooking for you! Thinking about you as I cook! Thinking about you praising me, showering me with love! Just watching your adorable face devouring my food in complete ecstasy!" She leaned over me with sparkling eyes that just screamed energy.

"Is that so?" I ask with a sweat drop.

"Of course! Here!" She reveals a camera hidden in her purse and shows me an album… disturbingly named "Elsword 3". To my not very great surprise, it was an album completely filled with pictures of me. A lot of … VERY QUESTIONABLE pictures of me. I'll leave that to your imaginations.

"R-R-R-Rena!? Where did you get t-t-these pictures?!" I asked with my voice quivering.

"Well, you know… you really are a heavy sleeper. You don't really pay much attention to your surroundings when you aren't doing anything. Just call it dedication!" She looked shy all of a sudden. I do not know why.

"I… whatever." I just decided to drop the topic. I feel like this is becoming a pattern in my life… something big or sad happens and it is immediately followed up by some ridiculous antic that I cannot even fathom.

_Its fine isn't it? You have such a beauty as your girlfriend and she is just completely obsessed with you!_

True… I don't hate this side of her. But, I guess I'm just a bit embarrassed still.

_Aww… adorable Elsword._

Shut up.

"Well… hopefully your cooking gets to be as great as your mother!"

"Eh?" Rena responded strangely.

"Man! I remember when you always used to share your food with me! Speaking of which, how are your parents doing?"

Rena was silent. I turned towards her and her face was blank.

"Rena?"

"Huh?" Rena looked at me.

"Are you okay?' I ask worried.

"Yeah… I'm fine." She looked away.

"What's wrong?"

Rena did not say anything for a while. I waited hesitantly.

"Nothing." Rena looked down and closed her eyes.

"Did you fight with your parents?" Trying to guess around.

"Ngh…" Rena flinched. "No."

I felt hurt. It was not even the fact that Rena was worried over something. It was the fact that she was not willing to share with me her problems even though we've been dating for a while.

"Rena." I said as serious as I could. Rena jumped a little.

"I am your boyfriend. That's why, I want you to let me worry about your problems with you. I want there to not be any secrets between us. That's why, I need you to tell me what you're worrying about." Rena looked a bit taken back, but her face relaxed and she gave a bitter smile. She took a deep breath and then…

"Well. I couldn't stand them anymore. They… aren't bad parents in the slightest. They always had my interests as their top priority. Always pampering me with everything I asked for. But… every time I talked about you, they would do a complete 180 and we would get in an argument. They said that you weren't even worthy of being associated with me."

I felt a bit disheartened. It always seemed like that at least the Parker family was fine with me. But I guess no parent was in the end.

"I endured it for a bit because I knew that they were basically my lifeline. They are my parents too, so it was just wrong anyways. I would not really be able to do much without them. But then… a year ago, before school started, I heard."

Her eyes, somehow they shone like the moon after she finished that last line. Her eyes were tearing up.

"That the famous Sieghart family was attending El High, one of the most prestigious academies that a practitioner could ever go to."

Rena's eyes then felt so warm.

"I was shocked. But, I realized that Elesis would always be with you. That's why… I worked hard to be able to attend El High. So I could finally meet you again. Ah, of course I also notified everyone else. We all still kept in touch since that day."

"A-Ah…" Guilt kind of rushed over me, but there was not really a way for me to contact anyone.

"That's why… as soon as I heard, I decided to immediately leave the house." She looked down.

"Eh?" I was taken aback.

"Well… the idea that I would be able to see you again made me so happy. I felt so much better and it gave me the courage I needed to finally speak my mind. I told my parents off. They warned me for the last time that you weren't worth my time, but I still went off."

"Wait, then what did you do about money?" I highly doubt she could have left with much on her.

"Oh. I just had to get a job and commute to an apartment." She stuck her tongue out.

"… What kind of job?" I was feeling uneasy at this point.

"Ah." Rena froze.

"…"

"…"

"Rena?"

"Yes?" Her face was frozen, still dumbfounded.

"What kind of job?" I repeated the question the exact same way.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Just tell me already!" I shouted a bit. I look around and saw everyone staring at us.

"Ah… well, let's find a bench somewhere." Rena suggested. I followed her.

We found a nearby bench somewhere and sat down on it.

"Okay, once more. What kind of job."

"Ngh…" Rena shut her eyes firmly and slowly turned her body towards me.

"Hey… I really don't have to say that right? We can just end it now?" She pleaded with puppy eyes.

"No." I showed no signs of giving mercy.

"Fine." She accepted my answer.

"So?" I implored for the last time.

"Assassination." She finally answered with cold eyes.

I got startled.

"Yeah. You remember when at the coliseum, I was different right?"

"Yeah. I remember that. You were wearing quite a revealing outfit." I thought back to that moment. I blush a little thinking about it.

Rena glares at me. I apologetically nod my head.

"Ahem… Well, anyways. My job from before was dealing with assassination and guarding. People would hire me for killing off others for various reasons. Revenge, political power, dealerships, debt, and etc. I would also be assigned for guard duty, protecting upper authorities."

Something sounded off a bit. Assassination for revenge? Political power? It seemed from my eyes that the world was more at peace ever since the Great War.

_Well… it is true that the Great War created a sense of peace between the nations of the world. But remember, this super continent is still divided into two. There is a reason, and that reason is universal._

But still… here?

"Yes… so I murdered many people." Rena's eyes were tearing up a lot more and I can see the pain.

But in a way, it made sense. If I think about it, I don't see Rena fighting all that often. Even in sparring, she does not exert that much strength.

_Hmm… a trauma huh?_

I guess so.

"Sorry Elsword." Her voice was getting weaker.

"I'm sorry. I… am a murderer, yet I'm being so selfish. This entire time, I thought that I can get through it and forget about it. Yet… I killed so many people. At some points, I even questioned the job requests. I still did it all though." Rena was trembling with fear. She was facing the ground, clutching the hem of her skirt, crying.

This burning sensation. It was seething with frustration and sadness. Watching Rena suffering, I did not know how to react really, but now…

"Okay?" Rena looked up slowly at me.

"You know, you're really not the Rena I knew. You've really changed over the years. As kids, you would always be quiet and polite to everyone. Kind of annoying with how much you cared for everyone else. A week ago, you showed me a mature person. That's what I knew from kids and the first week of school. But now, you're the only one that I can think about now. You always comfort me and I can tell you are sincere with your feelings towards me. You've always been thinking about me ever since we first met. This is the Rena I know. Until you prove me otherwise, nothing will sway my feelings."

"Elsword…" Rena's tears stopped. She looked at me with a passionate gaze. The same charm that always gets to me now. I blush a little.

"You… you're still the same boy from before." She got closer and embraced me.

"Yes… the same gentle boy I met many years back. Thank you Elsword." I put my arms around her and we stay like that for a while. Luckily, no one was really around us.

_You could probably make a series of your life and make millions off of it._

Who would watch it in the first place?

_People._

That's very insightful.

_Indeed. Genius I am, too handsome I am._

I really can't understand you sometimes.

_Well, you're going to have to learn for our synergy partner._

Sigh… I **really** cannot understand you. Really, we're having an emotional moment and you're just waltzing in my thoughts, ruining it.

_Well… remember I can read your thoughts as well._

…

_You're right though. You really do not understand a lot about Rena._

Yeah…

… _Well, that's why there is time. You guys have not really had time to really actually be lovers, so it's fine for now. You just need time alone…_

Yeah… you're right.

_But now I wonder. Why do you love Rena?_

What?

_Or even, why do you love in the first place?_

…

_Thinking back on it, you readily made Rena your girlfriend after getting crushed by Aisha. And even then I thought your "love" was a bit off._

…

_Maybe, this is not really love, but something else?_

…

_Well, I won't prod on you about it, but you should really sort your feelings out. You don't want anyone to be hurt._

Rena slowly separates.

"Elsword." Rena looks up. Her eyes still with the moonlight shine on it.

"I love you." A faint tint of pink appears on her cheeks.

I hesitated to say the words that would have usually came so naturally. Honestly, can I call what I feel for Rena love? Or even back then with Aisha… did I love them? Although I want to say yes… I can't seem to really piece anything together anymore. Was this blind?

"Elsword?" Rena looked worriedly at me.

"I love you too Rena." I reassure her with a smile. She slowly closes her eyes and tilts her head up a little.

I close in and we both kiss. It felt a little less filling than before. After we move away from the kiss, we just stare at each other.

"Well. I guess we should go finish shopping." I said softly.

"Yeah. You're right. Let's go, shall we?" We both slowly get up and we started back on the route we were taking.

Time passed by as we searched for all the ingredients on the list Rena had. We did not talk at all during the process.

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 3:37 pm. El High - Girl's Dormitory Building Entrance.

Rena and I walk back to school with bulging bags in our hands.

"Seems like we're done for the day now." I said, trying to break the ice.

"Yeah." Rena replies. She sounded a lot more relaxed, even at the beginning of this grocery trip.

"Um… can you take this all with you?" I point out the two bags on my hands. I'm not entirely sure Rena could make just one trip with everything.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks." Rena took the bags she was able to manage it fairly well.

We both stood in silence.

"Well. I'll be going inside now." Rena finally said.

"Alright. Take care then." I wave at her.

"You too." She smiled at me and turned towards the building.

_Hmm._

What?

_Nothing. Just felt very strange here._

How so?

_Never mind. It seems like you at least learned quite a bit about her now._

Yeah. That's true.

_Well. What now?_

Actually… I'm not sure?

_Heh. Remember though.. You have a lot of time… that's what it means to be young._

Thanks.

The talk we just had kind of phased me in a way. I kind of felt lost now. I did not know how to describe it, but I decided to start walking back to my room to go cool down.

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 4:12 pm. El High – Elsword's Room.

Ara's POV

"Hey Elsword."

"…"

"Um." I got a bit scared.

It seemed like Elsword was not feeling great.

_He's a bit more lost… Hey Conwell._

_What._

_Whoa? A bit salty there. What happened?_

… _Nothing in particular._

_Not gonna tell me?_

_I suggest you just leave Elsword alone for now. He really has a lot of things on his mind._

_Hmm…_

"What's wrong Elsword."

_Of course you would ignore my advice…_

"Nothing." Elsword's eyes looked as if they had wandered off. His voice lost its energy and felt tired.

"Really?" I asked to assert my point.

"Yeah. Sorry, I'm just tired right now." He reached for the door.

I immediately grab his wrist.

"Mm… Ara?" Elsword looked at me curiously. I slowly put my arms around him and hug him.

"Ara?" Elsword did not resist or anything. Something was very wrong. But honestly, I did feel a bit anxious from what Elesis told me earlier… I was going to do this regardless. I pulled myself off after a bit.

"I… just felt like doing that." I smile a little, still focusing on Elsword's emotions.

"… Thanks." He smiles wryly.

I shake my head. "Have a good rest then." I slightly bow towards him and watch him enter his room.

_Hmm… I wonder what is wrong._

I wonder as well. It appears that Elsword and Rena had a serious talk back there.

Rena was crying and Elsword looked lost. What could be the reasoning? I really want to help Elsword, more so now than ever.

_Well, looks like you won't be with him today, so was your plan for the rest of the year._

Mm… not necessarily.

I sat down next to the door with my back on the wall.

_Ah… so it's come down to this._

Why did you make it sound so ominous?

_Not really ominous._

Is that so?

I still believed that I want to stay next to Elsword's side. Somehow, I felt compelled to after having that talk with Elesis. I should support Elsword as much as I can… until that day comes.

Hey Eun.

_What's up?_

What would you call this feeling?

_Sympathy._

That's right… isn't it?

_So it would seem like right now anyways._

Then… would that feeling alone be enough to help Elsword?

…

Eun?

_No._

Really?

_It would take a lot more to be able to help him._

… I see.

_Don't worry though. If you really want to, I will help you._

Thank you Eun.

_But answer me, why do you feel this way towards Elsword really?_

I…

_I know you don't love him. If you really did, you would be acting a bit differently._

Differently?

_That will be a lesson for another time._

Um. Okay?

_Hm. Oh well… why don't you sleep for now?_

Well, it's still pretty early.

_But if you're going to just sit here, you might as well sleep. I will wake you up if Elsword comes out of his room._

Then… I'll do so.

_Good night Ara._

Good night Eun.

I slowly close my eyes and drift into the darkness.

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 4:20 pm. El High – Rena's Room

Rena's POV

I lay on my back on my bed with my hands out in front of me, staring at them. I closely examine them, still feeling Elsword''s warmth.

Elsword…. For some reason I felt like a pervert. Just imagining about him. His touch, his warmth, his face. Kissng him… touching him more…

No… I am a pervert. But… thinking back, I wonder what would have happened if I never heard that rumor… that Elsword would go here. If I had not gone here, what would I be doing?

Actually… is that kind of reality even possible?

What am I thinking… of course it is. Yeah… everything happens within a certain range of possibilities.

Agh… what am I even thinking about anymore? Sigh…

I sit up and feel something wet. My vision got a bit blurry.

What am I thinking about?

A stream flowed down my cheeks. I hug my knees together close to my chest.

I…It hurts. I wonder why… even though I finally got it off my chest.

Even though we're so close now…

Despite it not being love at all…

I know…

…


	19. Ch 16: Having A Talk

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 5:51 pm. El High - Elsword's Room.

Ara's POV

"Ara." I jump up at the voice that called out to me. It was Elsword... he opened the door and saw me.

_Guess I did not have to wake you up._

"Ara? What are you doing here?" He looked at me more closely.

"Did you wait out here this entire time?" He looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Ahaha. I guess?" I responded awkwardly... I stood up slowly and looked him in the eyes.

"Elsword, I have something to ask of you." He looked at me curiously.

"Do you remember the bet we had on our duel a while back?" Elsword jumped up at those words. I could tell he remembered clearly.

"Y-You mean?" He gestured strangely.

"The winner shall be given the rights to request two things of the loser." I gestured the number two.

"D-Don't tell me." He looked at me wearily.

"Yes, I would like to request my first right now." I smiled at him. He sighed.

"Okay... a swordsman does not go back on his word. What is it?" He puffed out his chest.

I take a second and breathe in deeply.

Slowly, I embrace Elsword.

"Eh? Again?" He did not seem as surprised.

"Elsword, from now on... please treat me as your lover." I state my request firmly.

"A-Ara?" I separate from him a little.

"Elsword. Please, give to me the same love that you give to Rena." I kept my composure and held my stand strong. Elsword was very flustered.

"Um... but." Elsword was at a loss for words.

_You should hurry up and get to the point. Boys like these tend to misunderstand very quickly._

Right...

"Elsword, I want to stay by your side for just a while." I take my time saying these words. I want to make sure he does not get the wrong idea.

"I want you to share your feelings with me, and let me help you. You seem to be the one who pushes others when it gets rough for you. Honestly, it hurts a lot to see you do so." I held my hand to my chest, already feeling the pain I felt from before.

"Ara..." I hear him call my name.

"I do not know a lot about you. You do not know a lot about me either, and this may seem strange as well. But whenever I look at you, for some reason I cannot take my eyes off. That's why, I want to learn more about you."

I take another deep breathe.

"That's why, I request that you allow me to be your lover. Let me share your life with you and share the burdens that you carry." Elsword seemed to be amazed more than anything.

_*Whistle* That was quite the speech there Ara._

I ignored Eun for once, trying to maintain the composure I had built up now.

"Ara... you." Elsword started, but stopped himself.

"Elsword, remember, this is not me asking you out or asking for permission, this is a request. You have to listen..." I remind him of the origin.

"Right... well then. I guess we're lovers now." Elsword sighed in defeat.

"Yes. So..." I take his hands in mine.

"Please, share your problems with me." I try to smile as softly as I could to Elsword.

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 6:40 pm. El High - Plaza

Elsword's POV

I find myself outside to the Plaza. My head feels dizzy right now... probably from what just happened. Ara looked so hurt. Even when she smiled, I could feel it coming from her heart... it was overbearing.

"Elsword!" I hear a voice from afar call out to me. I turn to the voice and am greeted by blonde hair.

"Yo!" Chung greeted me energetically.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Are you doing anything right now?" His face full of anticipation.

"No, not necessarily. Why?"

"Alright, then let's go!" He grabs my arm and drags me to somewhere.

We went to the city and down further into some strange building. It said 'Karaoke'?

Chung apparently had a room already and inside the room was Raven.

"Uhh... so what's happening?" I asked without a single clue.

"Well, it's been a while, so we thought we'd have some quality guy time." Raven said.

"Yeah. It really has been a long time since we last talked Elsword." Chung added on.

"Ah... that true. Sorry guys." I apologized.

"Nah it's fine. Besides, you're having some problems with Rena now right?" I jumped a little at that statement.

"Uh?" I asked, trying to act innocent.

"Aisha and Eve told us about it. Rena has been kind of acting down even when they talk about you." Raven said.

"Eh? Talking about me?" I point to myself in question.

"Well, honestly... that seems to be the only thing Rena talks about when she is with the both of them." Chung confirmed with a worried look.

"… I can somehow imagine that..." Knowing Rena, and especially after seeing that album, it's not very far off.

"But yeah, today we just wanted to just chill with you dude. Of course if you want to talk about anything, our ears are open." Raven felt really reliable right now.

But that's not really what I think is best for right now. I don't really want anyone's influence at the moment.

_How come though?_

I don't want my decisions to be swayed by others.

_But you know, it's because of your thought process that you need others to sway you._

What do you mean?

_It's true that too much interference can drastically change a person's reasoning, but that's why you just have to separate the given advice. Do not let it affect your judgement overall, but consider and evaluate them so you can reach your conclusion._

I don't know about that. I just want to make sure that my decision is really my own.

_But you do not know where to begin at this point right? I think sharing your problem with them will benefit you greatly right now._

You're completely serious about this, aren't you?

_Yes. Because right now, honestly, your relationship with Rena is very unhealthy right now. If you just move along life like this, you really will not be able to close the gap with her. Although, that is assuming your fate lies along hers._

Conwell?

_Never mind... that will be important later on. Right now, just get your mind straight._

Alright... I'll try talking to them then.

"Hey guys. What do you think of our relationship right now?" I asked them seriously.

Raven and Chung both had a stern look on their face. Chung backed off a little and Raven nodded at him.

"Hmm... do you want my honest opinion? You may not like it." Raven responded.

"Yes. I want to know where we stand right now. But I'm not entirely sure on that." I say, looking him in the eyes firmly.

Raven stares at me silently for a moment.

"Right now, it seems like this relationship became physical. More like, a disposable tool." I was surprised at his words, and confused.

"Yes, you and Rena are doing a lot of lovey-dovey things and comfort each other, but it seems that you guys only amount up to that. I have not sensed any time where you guys are true to your feelings." His words had weight on them. Right now, I was talking to an entirely different Raven than the one I always joke around with.

"I'll say this now. There are a lot of things you do not know about Rena yet. A lot of things. These memories that she hides have traumatized her greatly and shut her heart out." Raven closed his eyes and stopped for a moment.

It couldn't be... right?

"Raven, you seem to know an awful lot about Rena." I stated, trying to inquire him further.

"Yeah. Shows who took care of her when she needed it during the three years we were all separated, right?" So he did stay with her in the end.

"During those three years, a lot of things happened, and it ended up pretty bad for the both of us. But it had a very long term effect on Rena."

Raven paused once more.

"Elsword, I'm going to say this once. If you ever hurt Rena, I won't ever forgive you." Raven's eyes showed his killer intent. He was very serious. The atmosphere grew grim very quickly and it felt like I could barely breathe. It was hard swallowing my saliva.

"I feel the same way... or at least the first portion." Chung walked up and started to talk.

"Your relationship with Rena does seem good. But... there is a certain distance between you guys. You just sugar coat everything and have a layer of fake that stops you from sharing your feelings." Chung was also giving me a serious answer, but he was worried about me. Raven seemed to be protecting Rena in this situation.

But... bringing up the past. I never once thought Rena would have had that much trouble. Although, she did tell me she became an assassin after she left home.

_It seems like that tale might run deeper than just that._

You mean, there's more to her just leaving home and becoming an assassin?

_Elsword, you need to have a proper discussion with her._

Conwell?

_By their looks and tones, they are very serious about Rena's condition. I feel like her personality right now may be fake as well._

A fake persona?

_Yes... I get the feeling that, maybe the Rena right now is really just a puppet at this point._

Meaning, that she's just lifeless? She has no soul? She has no emotions?

_Precisely. Her condition could get unstable at this rate. I was hoping you could have more time to think about this, but I guess you're gonna have to mature at an exponential rate._

…

"So that's how you guys think." I hung my head a little.

"Elsword, I'm not sure about Raven, even I don't know what happened to them those three years. But know that if you need anyone to talk to, I'll be here to listen and help you whenever you need it." Chung reassured me once more.

"Well... I am worried about you too Elsword. It's just that I don't want to see Rena hurt at all. But I'll also chip in some advice when you need it."

"You guys." Although their words were harsh and to the point, I felt very secure somehow. Actually, more relieved even though I did not even say anything.

"Thanks." Both of them smile at me so softly.

Conwell was right. I needed to talk to them. Now I think I can begin to move forward a little.

Afterwards, the three of us goofed around as we used to when we were kids. After a long time, it was getting late. We all walked back to the school and returned to our respective rooms.

At my room however...

"Welcome back Elsword!" A lone Ara, doing a seiza position, bowing her head to me.

I stood there silent.

"Um. Is something the matter?" Ara looked at me and tilted her head in question.

"Why are you here? And how?" I questioned her.

"Ah... well I did tell you that Principal Xerath requested that we both live together."

"Wait... he couldn't have meant?" Living... together!?

"Yes! He gave me a spare key to your room... so." Ara blushed.

"Also... it's to be expected, since we're lovers now. Right?" She smiled once more. My face just became more hot.

"I may be unexperienced, but please take good care of me." She bowed once again.

There's something dangerous about that wording.

_Tell me about it..._

_But you liked it, didn't you?_

Oh, I guess she's gonna butt in too.

_At least I liked it._

_I wasn't talking to you, idiot sword._

"Wait... there's only one bed though." I pointed behind her.

"Ah... well that is true. A boy and girl both shouldn't be sleeping together on a bed." Ara started fidgeting.

_Ahh... nothing like a shy fidgeting girl to get you going._

_Are you some perverted old man?_

… _Yes?_

"It's fine. I'll just sleep on the floor then." Ara seemed to be startled by this statement.

"No! Absolutely not! No, no, no!" She seemed like she was scolding me somehow.

"B-But there's only one bed." I restated.

"T-Then... let's just sleep together." She was completely red.

"But you just said..."

"Well, if you're gonna sleep on the floor, then I'll sleep on the floor too." She puffed out her chest.

Both of us went silent. We were apparently having a staring contest... and I lost.

"Alright then... we can both sleep on the bed. We just need to keep our backs to each other I suppose." I turned off the lights and started to move to the bed.

"In any case, I'm tired... Ara." I call her name to ask something. She pouted.

"Uh... Ara?" I ask once more.

"Wrong..." She looked mad.

"Um?" I did not understand.

"It's big sister now is it not?" She was still pouting, and I'm here just flabbergasted.

"B-Big sister Ara?" My face felt really hot.

"Yes?" She smiled at me.

"Shall we sleep now?" I signaled to the unoccupied space on the bed.

"Oh... uh... yes." She became docile again and slowly crept into the bed.

We ended up as I said, laying down in bed with our backs facing each other.

It's hard to sleep knowing there's a girl right behind you... so close.

_Do not cheat on Rena... do not cheat on Rena... do not cheat on Rena._

What the hell are you chanting?

_A good luck charm. So you do not end up crossing the line._

I would never do that!

_Well, you never know. A man's libido is a very strong feeling. Also, she's also your lover now._

"Elsword?" I hear Ara call my name.

"Y-Yeah?" I jumped a little with my response.

"You love Elesis a lot, right?" Odd question... there was a bit of depression in her voice.

"Yeah. I love her a lot. She's the first person to acknowledge me and accept me." I decided to be a bit more honest given what happened today.

"I see... have you ever imagined what it would be like... if she went somewhere far far away?" My eyes widened. I never thought about that... what would happen if Elesis left me. Wait... why is Ara asking this?

"I don't know honestly. I couldn't even imagine a world without her." The room became dead silent.

"I see..." Ara said softly. I could not understand the meaning behind her words.

"Why do you ask?" I tried to ask, but Ara was silent once more.

"Ara?" I tried again.

"Elsword... I care about you. I really do. Honestly... I do not know the full reason. But for now... please let 'us' help you." It's the same as Raven and Chung. Her words carried so much weight on them. Piling onto the words given to me already, I felt like I was being crushed.

"Okay." That was all I could get out. My mouth could not move afterwards.

Yet, my heart felt a little bit lighter. Even with this strange weight, my heart felt more free than before.

It was calming... and soothing.

My vision fades out...

* * *

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014. 7:37 pm. El High – Rena's Room.

Rena's POV

"_What are you thinking Rena?"_

"_Indeed! Why would you leave us?"_

…

"_It's… that boy again, isn't it? That damned Sieghart failure."_

"_Rena, please think about this. Just being near that boy is a plague in its own right."_

…

"_Hey everyone! Let's go!"_

"_Energetic as always, aren't you Elsword?"_

…

"_What's wrong Elsword? Ah! You're bleeding! Give me a second, I'll treat it right away!"_

"_It's fine! It's just a few scratches."_

"_Scra… did someone do this to you Elsword?"_

"_No."_

"_Elsword, you shouldn't hide these things from us, especially from Elesis. We worry about you sometimes."_

"… _Psh, well you shouldn't. I've faced worse things than this before!"_

"_Ngh…"_

…

"_Stop it this instant!"_

"_We won't let you hurt Elsword anymore!"_

"_Everyone, stop! Just don't butt in…"_

"_Get out of my face you ignorant imbeciles!"_

…

"_A-Are you guys okay?"_

"_Yeah. Don't worry Elsword, I can take a few hits. Although… not sure about Aisha."_

"_Huh! What was that? I'm fine! See?"_

"_Ahahaha!"_

"_Really though… I think we all need a good rest."_

"_No! I'm fine. Raven can go take one."_

"_After you m'lady."_

"_Grrrr."_

…

"_Rena. I love you."_

"…"

"_Rena?"_

"_Is that the truth?_

"_What?"_

…

How many days has it been since I've had this reoccurring dream? Or… is this just a nightmare. A warning? I don't know.

Ahahah… I already know the reason, yet I still question it.

How long will it be before this is all over? I don't really know. Why am I feeling guilt towards this? I don't really know…

"Rena!"

…

"Rena! Are you there?"

…

"Maybe she isn't here Aisha?"

"No, she's here. Probably asleep."

"Oh. Aisha?"

"Excuse us…"

Ah. Aisha and Eve… I wonder why they're here. Actually, it's been quite a while since Elsword and I even talked to them. Ironic. We've been reunited, but we don't really spend much time together. I guess that's what happens when we enroll in such a high classed school… actually, can you call it high classed? The opportunities are endless and enriching, but the actually students and some of the staff… ahaha. Well, I guess I'll just wait for them to "wake me up".

"Oh, you were right."

"Rena! Wake up! It's too early for sleep you know?"

Aisha kept shaking my body to wake me up. It was a really soft shake since her physique is not well built. She spends too much of her time purely on magic. She should really learn the importance of having a balance in everything. I slowly get up.

"Mgh… what's happening?" I ask wearily.

"Jeez. Why are you sleeping? It's only 7:40." Aisha stated.

"I was just a bit sleepy. But it's surprising, I haven't seen you guys in a while." I responded with a smile.

"Ah, it has been a while huh? I guess that's what happens when the clubs run you rampant with missions." Aisha said with a wry smile.

"We wanted to know if you would like to accompany us." Eve asked, still as aloof as ever.

"Hmm, to where?" I asked.

"We were thinking it would be nice to get together with just us girls and decide on what to do." Aisha smiled

Just the three of us?

"Oh don't pout like that. You should spend time with your friends and not just your boyfriend." Aisha rudely stated.

I guess my face was a bit down.

"Yes. It would be ideal if we could at least spend some time together. We are friends." Eve followed up.

"Oh. I wasn't really going to say anything like that. But yeah! It sounds great." I tried to stay enthusiastic.

"Alright! Then, let's go!" Aisha suggested and Eve nodded her head.

"Roger!" Eve and I both say.

Aha... it really is good to have friends by your side...

… Yes. Friends...

* * *

Wednesday, September 16th, 2014. 9:55 am. El High - Homeroom.

Ara's POV

_Hey Ara._

Yes Eun?

_What are you planning to do now? Now that you have confirmed your spot as Elsword's second faux lover?_

… As I said earlier. To share his burdens with him.

_Ara. Tell me honestly. Are you feeling 'that' aura around him?_

…

_Ara._

I... am not quite sure. But there is something that just pulls me in no matter what.

_Hmm... maybe because he's cute._

I instinctively slam my hand on my desk. I could feel everyone's stare on me.

"Ara, are you okay?" Aisha walked up to me worried.

"Ah... it's nothing, I am fine." I slowly bow to them.

"I am sorry for worrying you." Aisha frantically waves her hands around and shakes her head.

"No no! It's fine. Don't bow!" It seems that she did not like such formal manners.

"Well... shall we go eat lunch?" Chung walked up this time with everyone else gathered.

"Yes." I accepted.

The seven of us all walked over to the rooftop. Along the way...

"Hey Ara." I heard Raven call out to me.

"Yes?" I responded.

"I've been wondering for a bit now... why are you so close to Elsword?" Everyone looked at me with the same eyes as his... suspicious.

"Ah. Well by Principal Xerath's request, I am just making sure I am closeby to Elsword and that I am with him 24/7." I responded as if it was normal.

"Um. Ara." Rena spoke up this time. She was also right next to Elsword on the other arm.

"I do understand that you have a task given to you from the principal, but you know it is kind of rude to be intruding on Elsword's personal space like this." She seemed a bit more harsh today?

_Oh... cat fight._

I did not understand her words, but...

"Well then, why are you doing the same then." I smiled.

"Well... because I'm Elsword's girlfriend." I could see Elsword gulp down something. I look at Rena very seriously.

"So am I now." I say with my resolution intact.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and looked at me.

"Eh?" Rena was taken back. I suppose it is strange to randomly announce that, but Elsword simply sighed.

"It's true everyone..." Elsword confirmed it and everyone seemed to have exploded.

"W-W-W-Wha..." Aisha was literally at a loss for words.

"Elsword... you!" Raven was getting mad.

"E-Elsword?" Chung was just confused.

"…" Eve just looked at us with a blank expression. Most of all though...

"Hooo..." Rena was looking at the both of us with contempt.

"Look, I can explain! Honestly!" Elsword seemed to be pleading. I felt a little bad.

"I am sorry everyone. It seems that I have caused a huge misunderstanding." I walk out in front and once more bowed to them.

"I will explain the situation once more..." I take a breathe...

_Oh boy... this is going to be a long day. Good luck Ara..._


	20. Ch 17: Ara's Secret

**It is pretty hard to write this story now. It might take me a while to be able to get chapters out faster because I want to try and meet at least a 4k word quota unless it's a side chapter. I also think my hiatus affected how I write so my writing style might be different from now on.**

**Just a little PS to you guys.**

**Also, if you have noticed, I have started another story on here. It is more of a side thing that I just do in case I cannot really think of anything for this story, so do not worry about me delaying this story because of that. It is only there to kill time.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"You see… for a while now, I have loved Elsword. And a while back, we did make a bet on the duel. Since Elsword lost to me, I have the right to request two things from him. I just recently made the first one, and that is for him to let me be his lover." I gave a smile to everyone, hoping they would calm down with this. But it seems that they all were still shocked nonetheless.

"I see… so now I am going to have two little sisters. I accept." For some reason, out of nowhere, Elesis appeared behind me with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Wait just one moment! You can't just declare yourself his lover just because of a simple bet!" Aisha protested very strongly against me.

"Yeah! I mean… even though it is a bet that Elsword lost, and it does entail for him to follow through, simply creating a relationship that requires mutual feelings from both parties does not work like that!" Chung added on.

"But, Elsword and I both have mutual feelings about this. Right Elsword?" I look over at Elsword who jumped up.

"Ah… well." He shrunk a little. Everyone's eyes were on him. Rena's eyes seemed unusually sharp. Elsword took a long sigh.

"Yeah yeah! I accepted the terms. I don't go back on my word. Is that so bad!" Elsword shouted.

Everyone seemed to be giving him a cold glare and he shrunk even more. Elesis seemed fine still.

"Well, it's to be expected anyways. The principal did say something about Ara being within close distance of Elsword. Correct?" Eve seemed to be very logical and calm about this. I wonder how?

"Well, that may be true but…" Chung trailed off and glanced over to Rena. In the aftermath, she seemed to have spaced out.

"Rena? Are you okay?" Raven went up and asked.

"Ah…" She looked at us all startled.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Elsword looked a bit more worried.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Really." She smiled. It look forced.

"I am sorry everyone." I bowed to everyone. It was silent. I guess for everyone it was uncomfortable.

"Well! It's not really anything to worry about now." Elsword exclaimed, seeming as if nothing happened.

"I mean, we already agreed that it wouldn't really get serious right?" He looked at me quite happily. For some reason, that unsettled me in a strange way.

"Yes. I do not intend to become a lover like he is with Rena. But I do wish for him to pay attention to me." I responded seriously.

Everyone else looked at me suspiciously. I still do not really understand.

"Well... that's that. I need to talk to you about something Ara." Elesis called out to me, trying to end the conversation.

"Me?" I point to myself.

"Yeah. It's about something important. It may take a while." Her eyes were a bit sharp for a second.

"I see..." I separate from Elsword and move over to Elesis's side.

"Everyone, I will see you all later." I bow and follow Elesis in a random direction she walked off to.

Elsword's POV

We all watched as Ara left with my sister.

"That was awfully abrupt. Coming in randomly and then leaving with Ara." Aisha stated.

"That is true. I wonder what she needed her for." I followed up.

"Well... whatever the case, I guess it's just back to the old group again." Raven put both his hands behind his head and stretched out.

Just like the old days. We all walked up to the rooftop and ate our lunch together. However, Rena and I were a little more distant than usual. We did not feed each other or get super close. We just ate as if we were normal friends. I could feel everyone's eyes of concern, but I think I understand what I have to do at this point.

After lunch, we all went back and soon our club activities started. The day went on as usual. But it felt a bit lonely with Rena not clinging to me like always. She must be thinking about our relationship as well. I guess it was like what Raven said... I do not really know Rena well enough. The three year gap. Do I really want to maintain our relationship and step forward?

I would have to really think about this. My answer was far from clear.

* * *

Thursday, September 17th, 2014. 9:55 am. El High - Homeroom.

"Elsword." Ara walked up to me.

"What's up?"

"Today, let's go on a date." She said it so nonchalantly

Everyone heard her and immediately gave me a look of jealousy or despise. This was becoming common daily routine...

I look over to Rena and her face was just in utter shock.

"Do I have a choice to refuse?" Ara was saddened.

"You do not want to?" It looked like it was the end of the world. I couldn't say no…

"Of course I don't mind!" I replied energetically to reassure her.

"Okay! Then at 6:30 pm, wait for me at the plaza!" She promptly clasped her hands and stated. She walked back to her seat all giggly and I go back to the hideous atmosphere in the room.

"Idiot Elsword."

"Do your best."

I could hear Aisha cursing me and Chung cheering me on.

I see Ara so happy. I couldn't help but feel happy as well.

* * *

Thursday, September 17th, 2014. 6:35 pm. Hamel Plaza.

"I'm sorry! Did you wait long?" I just arrived at our meeting place. I was a bit late since my club members kept pestering me on about Ara and the date. A long bashing, and then they groomed me properly. I really don't understand them.

"No. I did not wait long." Ara's casual clothing is... really befitting of her. A one piece white dress. Very simple and plain, yet it gave off a sense of innocence. She had a flower ornament to go with it as well. White heels and an anklet with star patterns on it.

_This lady is with no doubt, the definition of beautiful._

Well... I wouldn't say that but.

She really is something amazing in those clothes. It seems as if the atmosphere of the city became incredibly bright just because of Ara.

"What's wrong Elsword?" Ara got close to my face.

"N-Nothing!" I step back.

"Is that so? Then, shall we go?" She held out her hand. I don't know why, but I'm really conscious of Ara now. All of her movements really have a certain grace to them that I have not noticed earlier.

_I guess the conversation from back then really got to your head._

Yeah...

_Ironic, only now do you realize how much of a lady she is. Although she is clumsy and clueless about a lot of things, she is also very insightful and sharp about every other thing._

Is that so?

_Yeah. It makes me a bit concerned._

…?

_"_Um. To be honest, I am not really familiar with this town. So I was wondering if you would show me around." Ara snapped me out of it as she asked a question.

"Hmm. Well I'm not too familiar with this town either to be honest. Second time here." I scratch my head.

"I see. Then I guess we can both explore it together." She was like a kid. I don't know why.

As Ara said, we spent our time exploring the city and discovering new things about it. I only went to the shopping district with Rena, so this was entirely different, going to almost every part of the city. It really did have everything. Restaurants, clothing shops, gaming shops, blacksmiths and armor-smiths, museums, coliseums, music stores and live houses.

It was amazing to see a lot of new things. But I think the best part was watching Ara discover everything. Her face would light up as soon as she saw anything really. She was overly eager to drag me over and look at something with her. It was a lot more clingy than usual, but I didn't mind.

Everything was fun and all, until we reached the park.

"Waaah! The city is so much fun! There's just too many things to do!" Ara was spinning around and skipping as we walked. I made sure to keep my distance with her.

"Yeah. It really is a lot more different than my old home."

"Your old home?" Oh shoot, I got too sentimental.

"Oh. It's nothing." I tried to retract my statement, but Ara was already interested.

"Tell me more about your old home." She was eagerly asking me. I really didn't want to talk about this. I knew she would jump on it.

_Hey, nothing wrong with trying to get closer to you, am I right?_

I don't know about that.

_Somehow, I feel like you aren't trying very hard._

I just don't know what to think about her right now. I don't get why she wants to know so much about me.

_Love?_

Again, I don't think that's the reason.

_Well... I will admit. There is an ominous aura surrounding her._

"Alright. It's not really a very happy story though."

"I know." I was a bit surprised. I looked up at Ara. The bright, cheeriness from her face was completely gone. It was a stern look. All of a sudden, she was very serious.

We both went down to sit on a bench. Thinking about it, this was very sudden.

"My old home was located in a village somewhere in the mountains. I don't really remember what the place was called or where it is now. I never really had a fond time there, so I think I just decided to try and forget all about it. But there are some things that can't be forgotten."

I started off. The talk ended up being me just tracing through my memories of that life. My family all shunned me for being pathetic and talentless. Because I was not a genius like my sister, they casted me out as an outlier, a failure amongst everyone. Thus, I had to live outside by myself. Elesis would always come to help me out, so it wasn't too bad. She kept on encouraging me and eventually got me to learn how to fight and train everyday. Soon, I met Raven and the others and I found a real family. In retrospect, it was not that bad of a life. I soon find myself thinking that I probably had it a lot more fortunate than a lot of others who just completely had no one to go to.

"You sound very happy." In a trance, Ara woke me back up with that one statement.

"Do I?" I wasn't really sure if I was happy then.

"Yes." She put her hands behind my head and brought it to her chest. I was startled.

"Thank you for sharing your past with me. I really appreciate it." Looking up at Ara, she looked as if she was in peace. It was a warm feeling... just like with Rena.

Rena. Thinking about it now really has me down.

"Ah. I'm sorry, am I doing something wrong?" I must be making a hard face.

"No. Actually, this feels really nice right now." My face felt a tint of heat.

"My my... youngsters these days." The both of us jump at the voice of an old lady. Without really realizing it, a lot of people were staring at us.

"I think we should go now." Now my face was completely hot.

"I agree." Ara was the same.

We both quickly walked away from the park. We walked around, still a little embarrassed. Eventually, we came across a long strip of staircases. Ara stopped in front of it looking very lost.

"Hey Elsword. I'm really happy you told me about yourself... so it is time I told you about myself." She turned around and smiled. It was a very sad smile. It hurt to see her smile in such a fashion.

She held out her hand. It was shaking a little. I gripped it tightly and we went up the staircases.

At the top was a shrine. I remember seeing a shrine back where I used to live, but this was a lot more cleaner and refined.

"When I was born, I was marked." Ara spoke randomly. She was starting her story.

"For a long time now, I never knew exactly what that mark meant. Actually, even now I do not know." She lowered the collar area of her dress and pulled down the shoulder-straps. I looked away instinctively.

"A-Ara?"

"Right here... this symbol."

I turned back slowly and saw a small symbol right on top of her left b-

_Heart. It is on top of her heart._

Er... Right.

"I do not know what it means, but it is very important to the people at my shrine. People worshipped me. They sang praise of me and always catered to me closely so I did not get into trouble. I was taught manners and told of peace and to disregard violence. They taught me to defend myself. I never questioned it. And then, when I was four, I met Eun."

She put her hands on her chest. I could not really make out her emotions. They felt scrambled.

"Eun was a scary kind of person. She was always rough and lashed out at me for the smallest things. She told me I had a hopeless personality and was disappointed that I was her vessel. But, time went on and I think we are really great friends now."

_This girl..._

Conwell?

"I think Eun knows why I was marked. But she will not te-." Ara's face tightened. It looked as if she was choking. She held her throat.

"Ara? What's wrong?"

_You are talking to much Ara._

Eun?

"What are you doing to her?"

_Teaching Ara her place. She is telling you two too much._

_Eun, you couldn't possibly be...?_

_That is none of your concern Conwell._

Ara's body lit up. Her hair was partially white. She leaped up and disappeared into the forest.

Was that Eun?

_Yes. It was._

Hey Conwell. This wouldn't mean...?

_I think it is what you are thinking. There's something going on between the shrine that took Ara in and Eun._

That mark... what could it mean though?

_I think Ara is a sacrifice._

What?

_I am not too sure. _

What should I do now?

_Go home._

Conwell?

_Forget about this matter Elsword. Move on._

Wait, what are you talking about now Conwell?

_I am saying we should not stick our nose into their personal matters. We should just leave them as it is._

No! Ara was begging us for help wasn't she?

…

I felt it when I was talking about my past. Ara had a sad look the entire time, but it was very grim as the time passed. When she started talking about herself, she looked so lonely. So fragile, as if the wind would crumble her away. Her eyes were practically screaming.

_It is unfortunate, but we cannot trespass any further than we have. Ara telling us anything was a mistake. Same for you, you should not give any more information to her._

Why are you talking like this Conwell? What is going on.

_I do not know. All I know is that for your best interests, you need to cut your ties with her._

You know I can't do that.

_I know you can, and you will._

Fine, then I just won't listen to you.

… _Sigh. You are a troublesome kid. A problem child. Delving into this matter will leave you a bitter taste._

I can work it out.

_Fine then. I'll try and give my input then to helping you. However, I do not support this whole-heartedly. Remember that. First, we should just wait until tomorrow. If the situation is what I believe it to be, Eun will start avoiding all of us. If Ara does not come to class tomorrow, we will have to hunt them down. I think it will be best to bring everyone with us, especially Elesis._

Elesis? Why her?

_Remember, Elesis took Ara a while back. I do not think it was for anything school related or being 'buddy buddy'._

Okay.

_From there, we will decide what to do. Got it?_

Right, got it. Thanks Conwell.

_Elsword. If danger comes towards your way, you must leave. You cannot die._

Of course. I don't wanna die young now.

Conwell's words would be on my mind for a while now however. There was just too many things unknown and ominous in my life now. What could be really happening. First Rena, now Ara.

I follow Conwell's order and go back to my room. I did not see anyone on the way. It was 10:21 pm. I should be going to sleep now.

* * *

Friday, September 18th, 2014. 3 pm. El High - Courtyard

Ara wasn't here today. It was as Conwell said. I gathered everyone to the courtyard and explained the situation.

"I cannot go today. I'm sorry." Rena bowed towards us.

"Why not?" Aisha asked promptly.

"I have some tasks to do..." Rena looked distant.

"What tasks could be more important than what is happening now? If what Elsword said is true, then Ara could be in danger!' Aisha started to lash out at her.

"That is true. No matter how you feel about her, we still need to help her." Raven was on Aisha's side, if only slightly.

"I'm sorry, but it is family matters." She shot a look at one of us.

"Oh... I see. It can't be helped then." Raven accepted her answer.

"Don't worry about it, I think we can do it with just us." Chung tried to calm everyone down.

"No. We still need one more person." I was referring to Elesis. She had a council meeting, so we had to wait for her. Except Rena, we all gathered in front of the council room and waited a while. Eventually, my dear sister did finally exit the door.

"Oh, if it isn't my dear brother. What do you need?" She immediately jumped onto me. I guess she doesn't need to act so pompous with the elite knights.

"Elesis. We need your help with Ara." I pulled her off as she reluctantly retreated.

"Ara? What happened to her?" She asked puzzled.

I once again re-explained the situation.

"Did you talk to Conwell about this?" Elesis's cheerful attitude quickly turned serious. Her glare was very sharp.

"Yes. He tried to convince me otherwise, but I still need to help Ara now." I try to give back the same kind of gaze.

"I see. I guess I would not be able to stop you either." Elesis's eyes became even more daunting. They were almost piercing my reason.

"No." I answered resolutely. She sighed and looked at me one last time.

"Okay. I'll help you then." She gave a weak smile. I looked over to everyone else and it seems the pressure Elesis gave off was really getting to them. They were all worn out.

"Then, shall I go ask the principal to give us permission?" Elesis pointed in a direction.

"Permission?" I asked confused.

"You really did not read the school manual, did you little brother?" Her eyes felt sadistic now.

"N...No." I answered honestly, not wishing to really waste any more time.

"Oh... Okay." She sounded a little bit disappointed. I did not wish to know why.

"If we are going to find Ara, it might take quite some time. Therefore, I think we should just ask for a leave of absence from the school so we do not have to worry about anything."

"I see. Then, if you would please."

"Understood. You guys should head to the front of the school and wait for me then." Elesis walked off to the principal's office. The rest of us decided to follow her orders and go to the front of the school.

On the way I looked at everyone. Raven was looking a little grim. Chung looked resolute. Aisha seemed very worried. Eve was emotionless as usual. It takes me back to Rena. She seemed very pale when she went away to her duties. It felt like something was off, but I need to focus on Ara so that can come later.

We got to the front of the school and stood there. Everyone started chatting normally, trying to lighten up the mood. I was trying to look everywhere in the off chance that Ara might randomly appear out of nowhere. Then, I heard a soft rustling noise coming from the brushes near us. I look over and I saw a peculiar set of fox ears.

"Ara?" I yelled out her name to try and get a response. The ears rose up immediately and then they vanished.

"Ara! Wait!" I ran straight after her.

"Wait! Where are you going? We need to be waiting for Elesis!" Aisha said.

"You guys can wait there! I'm going to chase Ara!" I wave at them and focus on catching up to 'her'. It should be Ara, or I suppose it's Eun right now who is in control. I hope I will still be able to find them despite the fact that Eun seems to have high athletic abilities.

_Elsword. I sense a magical force somewhere. I think Eun is headed over there._

Where is it?

_Try sensing it yourself. You're a pyromancer at this point, aren't you?_

Alright

I try concentrating and checking for anything. I felt a small pulse of magic coming from the west side. I rush over as fast as I could and find a stone in the middle of a patch of grass.

Was I wrong?

_No... We found it. The way to Ara's 'home'._

What?

"Elsword, where are you?" I hear Chung's voice loudly calling for me.

I call out to them and wait for them to get here.

"Did you find her?" Eve asked.

"No. But I think I found a way to get to her home."

"The stone." Elesis did not ask a question. It was a statement.

_Somehow, I feel like your sister knows a lot of what is going on._

What do you mean?

_Nothing... worry about Ara for now._

Alright.

"The question is, what do we do now..." I stated.

I did not really understand how to use this stone. It indeed was the force I picked up on, but how to actually get to Ara's home?

"If it is an intermediate, I think I can use my magic on it." Aisha walked up to the stone.

"Everyone, put your hands on the stone." All of us did as Aisha said and she started to chant something.

_Spirits, guide me._

_I am in a place unknown._

_Take me to the place granted upon this stone._

_Take me away from this place of naught._

_I call upon the spirits to bring me the light that will let me see_

_Let me see what I know as..._

_**Salvation.**_

A light engulfed all of us and I felt my body float. Everything then turned to darkness, as if it was just a flash of light and the world was nothing. A few moments later, I opened my eyes...


	21. Ch 18: Eun's Awakening?

Friday, September 18th, 2014. 4:17 pm. ? - ?

I opened my eyes. In front of me were many graves. I was in a cemetery. I looked around and saw that the area was completely void of life. It was as if everything was dying here.

_It looks like Aisha's teleportation magic might need a little tweaking. _

Yeah.

_But I suppose that's what happens when you are teleporting to an unknown destination with unknown distance._

Should I try looking for everyone first?

_I would say no. We do not know where any of them are, so it might take a while to get to them. More importantly, I think we should explore this land. We do not know much about this place and where it even is on the Elrios continent. We also do not know how many inhabitants there are here. Although, this is assuming that we are in the place we want to be._

Gotcha.

I started exploring the area. I ran in a random direction not sure of where to start. There was a thick dark fog encompassing where I ran so it was hard to tell whether I was actually getting anywhere or not. I kept on running in a straight direction. Fortunately, the fog started to clear up and it was getting more and more brighter. However... I stopped in my tracks to a sound that came from my right-side. I tumble forward and look behind to see an arrow fly straight across where I stood.

_It seems that we have company, one that does not want to negotiate. Elsword, get a move on._

I ran with all of my might and tried to exit where I was. I had to dodge more arrows along the way. It seems there are a lot of people who are aware of us being here. They seem pretty crazy to kill a random person they don't. Soon, I finally found light.

Out into the open, I entered a large grassland. I looked behind to see a normal forest. Too normal... despite all the dark fog I saw earlier, it looked as if the entirety of the forest was clean and lacked the dark fog. I also notice that the arrows stopped coming.

What happened?

_This might be an illusion._

An illusion?

_Someone set this up as a trap. In which, we should run now to avoid them catching us when they come to check on their trap._

Alright.

I listened to Conwell and immediately ran through the grass in front of me. Along the way, I notice a strange pattern on the ground. I didn't really pay much mind to it. It looked like someone was just scribbling there. I needed to focus on finding Ara.

* * *

Friday, September 18th, 2014. 4:20 pm. ? - ?

Raven's POV

Where is everyone...

I found myself within a forest of some sort. There was almost nothing but trees in here. It was somehow clean, lacking mud and fallen leaves anywhere. I already walked in a straight direction for sometime, but it seems like and endless path.

I call out to everyone, but I did not get a response. But soon I heard soft footsteps coming from the side. I look over to figure out what it was. After some time, a figure rushed past me. I quickly followed after it. Following the sounds, I came to what seemed to finally be the end of the forest and into an open grassland. The figure was very distant so I could not see it. I decided to keep on following it, making sure it won't be a problem.

* * *

Friday, September 18th, 2014. 4:20 pm. ? - ?

Aisha's POV

"Aisha, wait up!" Chung was lagging behind me.

I messed up my teleportation spell a little and separated all of us. We could not find Elsword and the others, so we decided to try searching for Ara instead. This pretty much ensured a long walk. We ended up at the top of a mountain. We were able to see a few buildings and assumed that it was a village. Surprisingly, it was the only village we could see up the mountains. Chung decided to launch us off the mountain. It was pretty reckless... and we honestly almost died doing it.

"I'm really sorry Aisha! It seemed like a good idea at first." It would have been... if you weren't so clumsy.

"It's alright Chung. I mean, it would have taken us forever to get off that mountain honestly. We're pretty close to the village at least."

We were very close. In fact... I could see the village only a few meters in front of us. I ran towards it.

"Hey Chung, come on, ru-" My body felt numb all of a sudden. My vision dropped and I was looking on ground level. I look up at Chung who ran towards me, only to have a shadow appear behind him.

We were caught.

* * *

Friday, September 18th, 2014. 4:40 pm. ? - ?

Elsword's POV

It's been around 15 minutes running around this place. I was starting to get irritated.

_Hey partner. What do you think about Ara?_

Where did this question come from?

_I was just wondering... what is she to you?_

I...

I think Conwell was not asking me whether I had feelings for her. He probably meant what I think of her.

I think she's too nosy. She keeps butting in on other people's lives and is so eager to do many things. This is in spite of her clumsiness and oblivious innocence. I can't tell whether it's a blessing or a curse for her.

_But that's not it... right?_

She's also very bright... almost too bright. Somehow, it makes me feel a bit bad about myself. She always cares for other people. It's actually sad to watch her never care about herself.

_I see... but is that so true now?_

What do you mean?

Conwell didn't respond to me. I pondered on that thought. What would not be true about what I said?

"Who are you?" Dozing off, I look around to see I'm next to a shrine. It looked like a shrine priest found me.

"Oh. I'm..." I did not really know how to respond. I guess being honest is the best choice?

Conwell's lack of response told me it might be fine.

"I'm Elsword Sieghart."

"Sieghart?" The priest's face scrunched. It seems he was thinking hard about something.

"I see... What brings you here?" It seems he wasn't gonna be as hostile as I thought.

"I'm here to see Ara Han."

"Her?" Somehow, his way of addressing her was a bit unsettling. His face seemed to have disbelief.

"I see. Very well, I shall bring you to her." He slowly turned and walked into a building. I followed him.

Inside were many decorations that made the shrine seem very serene. In the middle of the room we had entered was a table and candles. The building had two stories, with a staircase in the back of the room connecting the two floors. There were many other priests who looked over at me.

"This is Elsword Sieghart." There was a strange emphasize on Sieghart.

"He wishes to meet our mistress Han." His tone changed as well. Yet, it felt very cynical.

All the other priests looked at each other, and eventually one of them walked to a room. Only a moment passed and immediately I see a familiar figure. Almost the same as when we had left her... or what I would have liked.

Ara was restrained by cuffs and stripped naked. Her eyes looked almost devoid of life. The way she was dressed, her expression, her movements. It was as if she died. I looked in horror at the sight before me.

Why... why is she like that. I thought Ara was supposed to be worshipped. I thought she was liked by these people. Aren't these people her family now? What the hell is happening.

Ara's eyes wandered around until they were set onto me. They gained a little life once more.

"Elsword?" She said it so weakly.

"Ara..." I did not know what to say or how to react.

"Ah... please do not look at me." Ara tried to hide her body, but one of the priests pulled her over.

"Did we give you permission to speak, you lamb?" One of the priests slapped her.

I felt my body twitch. I clenched my teeth.

"So. What did you need our mistress for?" One of the priests asked me.

_Elsword, do not freak out._

He responded to the feelings rising inside me.

"I just wanted to ask her why she was not coming to school." I asked, trying to keep my composure.

"I see... well. Answer him, why are you not going to school?" The priest looked over at Ara whose head was hung over. She was covering her body with what she could with her arms and legs.

"I... I was a bad girl. So, I was punished appropriately for my sin." Ara was basically crying. Her voice kept breaking in between her words. It hurt my heart.

"I am sorry. I cannot go back to school until I have corrected my deeds." I could not see her face. She aimed it towards the ground.

"Is that it?" The priest sounded irritated. He kicked Ara.

"Why are you not asking for forgiveness? You have troubled Mr. Sieghart here. Should you not properly apologize?" Ara was shaking terribly.

Ara opened her mouth. For a second, I thought she would scream for help. The sounds she made were obviously cries from the pain. But she still slowly sat up and kneeled in front of me. She began to prostrate herself before me.

"P-Please... forgive me." Finally, Ara began to cry.

No... I should be the one to apologize. I never realized how much Ara cried. How hard she tried to call out for help. All those times she was with me smiling, talking with me and sharing her feelings, she was asking me for help. Only now can I see that. If only I had noticed earlier, maybe I could have helped her more. But... she's been suffering for so long now. Because...

_Hmm. I guess you can use your brain every once in a while._

Well, even I can tell from her face what she's saying.

'You do not have to help me. I am fine. Please, forgive me, and do not come back here. Do not involve yourself anymore than you have now'

"No." I stared straight at Ara. She looked up, hurt.

"Why would I apologize to you." She now looked at me funny.

"What did you ever do wrong? All you did was ask for help, right?" Ara's cheeks was being washed by her tears. She started to cry even harder.

"I just do not wish to involve you any further now... please leave now." The priests all around were just staring at this point.

"Is that really what you want Ara?" I asked her firmly to reaffirm.

"Y-ye-"

**Smack**

I walked over and slapped Ara with all of my might because she could finish. Her face flew far, as if her body was just a doll. She slowly turned towards me, completely shocked.

"Why do I have to forgive you. What have you ever done wrong."

Her eyes widened.

"You never did anything wrong."

"Elsword... No."

"Always smiling, always so bright."

"Stop it."

"You always had fun..."

"Please, stop." Ara was a water work. She was desperately trying to shut me up.

"You're so strong. Far stronger than I am."

"No..."

"I had so much fun with you too. You taught me a lot of things as well."

"Ah..."

"I even began to open up to you. Even if you forced it out of me. You tried so hard to reach out to me. Even now I do not know why. But now I want to know. I need to know more about you."

"…" She stopped moving.

"That's why, I want to tell you more about me. And you tell me more about you. Because, you're my friend, and I will never let that change."

Ara's face froze. It felt like time had stopped just now, with just us two.

"Also... didn't we make a bet?" I smiled at her.

"I am still your lover. And for my lover, I will do anything." Ara tried to make words out, but it seems her voice failed her.

"So tell me, one more time. What is it that you want?" I could see the priests' faces all flaring up. I focused on Ara.

"I... I" Ara was struggling still, but.

"I want to be with you all. Everyone at El High. I want to be a part of your family." Ara was able to shout it out.

"Then, let's get out of here then." I put out my hand. She gripped onto it. She said nothing, but nodded with a smile.

I pulled her up and kissed the cheek I slapped.

"Sorry, did it hurt a lot?" She shook her head.

I could hear the priests' laughter all around me.

"What are you doing? Showing mercy to a mere sacrifice?" That word... so it was that way.

"A sacrifice for what exactly?" I questioned the priest.

"A sacrifice for our great fox deity! Eun, the Nine-Tailed Fox! The greatest war god in all of Elrios!" The greatest war god?

"We are the ones who will bring her back to our world and cast judgement upon the dirty humans who have tainted our great lands."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" This sounded like some kind of disillusioned cult.

_No. They just want to use Eun for their own purposes. I think I see their game now. They intend to bind Eun so that she cannot fully use her powers freely, but have just enough to be able to cause a bit of havoc._

Seriously? Can they really do that?

_Well, am I not in the same situation as well? I cannot break free from you since I do not have the necessary power it would take to._

That's a scary thought there.

_I do not seek to do that, so rest assured. I will only do so if I find you unfit as a warrior._

That's a very scary thought there.

"This is why kids like you are such a bother. So oblivious to the world. You really do not know about all the crimes that are happening everywhere in Elrios?" The priest's face turned very grim. He looked infuriated.

Crimes?

_Well. It is not like there can be total peace within the world. The darkness in people's hearts will eventually resurface or awaken in due time. It is just human nature. However, I do wonder about these said crimes that are supposedly happening everywhere that would subject them to make such a rash decision as to awakening Eun once more._

"What? You think you're some knight in shining armor who can swoop in and do whatever he wants?" Someone is a bit condescending.

"Well, let me tell you something. There is a simple concept called reality; the real world. There are things that you can do and cannot do. Things that happen without consent, whether we desire it or not. It seems that you're not the only one of your little group to arrive here as well."

He signaled at someone and soon I see Aisha and Chung both tied up. I clenched my teeth. They both woke up and looked over to us.

"Elsword! Ara!" Chung seemed a bit lively still. Aisha was a bit sluggish.

"Damn... we got caught in the end. Sorry." Aisha apologized.

"Nah... it's no problem." I grip onto Conwell's hilt and onto my other sword's hilt.

"I guess I just need to go all out for this." I draw them both out and got ready.

_So, you at least sense their power._

Yeah... it's nothing to laugh at. They are all fairly high magic users. I can't be too lax.

Despite what I said, I barely notice a block of ice rushing towards me. I was able to dodge it in time. But while that happened, a black cloud appeared above me. I quickly stabbed both swords into the ground and leaped over away from the cloud's range of attack. A lightning cloud.

_How lovely. It looks like they basically have every fundamental element by their side._

Well, I have the physical prowess by my side.

_You have about fifteen minutes to use me. Do not mess up._

I can't make any promises.

I hear a scream from the side. I look over and see two figures.

"Hey... what the hell do you think you bastards are doing to my family." An enraged big sister came rolling in with blood sprayed on her outfit. Eve was next to her.

"H-Hey! It's the red knight Elesis!" The priests were intimidated... I guess I wasn't scary enough.

"Yeah! Get ready to have your stomachs ravaged by my blade!" She was genuinely pissed, just like before.

"Are you two alright?" Eve went over to Aisha and Chung.

"Stop right there!" One of the priests held his hands out and said an incantation. Soon, chains rose from the ground and sped towards Eve. However, they were stopped by two little orbs that appeared behind Eve. They tore the chains apart and started ramming into the priest guarding Aisha and Chung. Eve proceeded to run over to the two and free them.

"Those robots are really amazing!" Aisha praised Eve's robots.

As that was happening, Elesis was busy slashing through all the priests who stood in her way.

"All of you, go to hell!" She grabbed two priests and threw them into a small group of them.

_Blazing Wing_

She swung her sword and shot a fireball towards them. It was a homing fireball. As soon as it touched them, it revolved rapidly around all of them, burning them indefinitely.

"You monster!" A priest was behind her and called upon a large rock, most likely telekinesis. The rock was chunked at her.

_Blood Cutter_

She threw a spinning saw at it that cleanly cuts the rock in half and changes its trajectory. The saw slices through the priest. He was able to move slightly, so it only cut through a part of his shoulder. It still looked very painful.

_As always, she is ruthless to the enemy. Luckily they are still alive, so we do not have to deal with their bodies per se._

Wouldn't they die from blood loss if we don't treat them?

_No. Elesis is not that careless. I know her calm demeanor is still active during these times._

Is that from the time when Elesis wielded you?

_Yes._

_My my... this is quite the grim situation._

I hear a familiar womanly voice.

[Lots of familiar stuff...]

_Elsword! Get back!_

"Elsword, move away from her!"

Both Elesis and Conwell shout at me. I look at Ara whose eyes turned yellow and hair white. This time, it was completely white.

Simply being kicked by her, I was sent flying towards the wall.

"What is that?" Aisha questioned Ara's transformation.

"It can't be... Eun?" Chung was able to rationalize the possibilities.

"Ah... such a sappy love story we have here. Our young hero here comes into the enemy territory to save his damsel in distressed princess." Eun broke off the cuffs on Ara's body and stretched.

"Little did everyone know that such actions is just entering into the belly of the beast. A beast that will happily accept every offered sacrifice." Eun smiled maliciously.

She stood there with Ara's body. Her hair was completely white with white ears. She had strange marks on her face and her eyes were red with a tint of orange. Nine tails...

_This is Eun, the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit._

Conwell did not sound very good. The pressure that her aura had was tremendous

_As a reminder, this is probably only 40% of Eun's full strength._

Only 40%?

_Yeah... probably. I do not really sense the confidence she usually has._

Confidence?

Does that mean Eun feels uncertain about something? If she doesn't feel confidence even with all that power, maybe it is related to Ara being a sacrifice?

I try to examine Eun carefully. She looked completely confident. She was looking down on us.

"So boy, are you still going to interfere?" She's trying to intimidate.

"I said it before, I'm going to take Ara home. That includes you as well Eun." I say it with my full resolution.

Eun was baffled, and then started to laugh.

"I see... then prepare yourselves. I will not go easy." She summons a peculiar spear. On one end it had a blade for a spear, but another end had a black halberd type of blade. She also spawned an outfit similar to the one Ara wears, but more mature. I could feel pressure.

"Don't fuck with me." Elesis immediately stepped in and attacked Eun.

"Elesis wait! That's still Ara's body!" I warned her.

"Tch." Elesis held back on her attack. She slightly pushed Eun back.

"Hmm. Still worrying about her? She's just a sacrifice you know?" Eun shrugged her shoulders.

"What are you talking about Eun? I thought you two were friends." I shouted at her.

"Please. Are you still stuck in your wonder wonderland? How about you grow up little boy. The real world won't give a shit over one insignificant girl. She's my sacrifice, and nothing else. Sure, I spent a good amount of time making sure she was on the right path to becoming strong. But, that way, I will be able to get more stronger. I may be able to even return to my former glory, or even stronger. You hear that Conwell?"

Is she serious?

_I wonder about that._

Conwell?

_Do not worry about it now. Worry about saving Ara._

Ngh...

How can I do it though? Eun is possessing Ara. There doesn't seem to be a safe way of saving Ara or getting Eun to stop. I don't know about stalling either. What could I do at this point?

"Alright! Let's to waste all of her energy." And when I thought it was a bad plan, Chung shouted that out all of a sudden.

"Eh?" I replied in surprise.

"Well, that does seem to be the most logical thing to do at this point. There's nothing else to do honestly." Aisha shrugged and agreed with her.

"Y-you can't possibly be serious. Right?" Everyone nodded at me.

I hear a sigh.

"Well, I guess we can try that for now." Even Elesis agreed. I think I was going mad.

"Ho? You all think you can match my strength? I may not be at full power, but I am confident it is more than enough to take down all of you." Her smirk was annoying. It was looking down on us.

"We won't know until we try." I ready myself one more time.

"Hmph... suit yourself." Eun releases a wave of energy. It wasn't an attack, it was a demonstration of her power. It was overwhelming, but everyone did not seem to flinch at all.

Wait... Eve, Chung, Aisha, Elesis... Where is Raven?

_That does not matter. Elsword, I told you, focus on the matter at hand._

Ngh... I know, I know.

Raven, I hope you're okay right now.

* * *

Friday, September 18th, 2014. 5:06 pm. ? - ?

? POV

"So... are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes. If it comes down to it, I will go ahead with what was planned. But if there is no need, then I do not have to. However, I may have to interfere."

"I see... are you anywhere close to being able to leave?"

"No... at this point, I do not believe I will ever be free."

"Then -"

"I do not wish to involve you all. It will only hurt me even more."

Sigh

"Alright then... I love you."

"… I love you too."

"In the same meaning?"

"…"

"Of course not... your heart cannot love at this point."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah... you should be. We all should be."

...


	22. Ch 19: Eun's Strange?

Friday, September 18th, 2014. 5:10 pm.

Elsword's POV

"Well then little boy. Since you want to play within my affairs, I suppose I will respond to your feelings accordingly." Eun smirked with both her hands on her chest.

Everyone was prepared to strike. We all waited for Eun to make a move.

"Hey, Elsword!" Eun called my name in a strange tone. She started moving her hands. I did not understand what was happening.

Okay… I did know what was happening. She was caressing her body… WHAT?

A flash of light appeared from Eun's forehead and she was surrounded by energy. It enwrapped her for a few moments and then dispersed. What was underneath…

"So? What do you think about this?" Eun posed with her right hand on her right knee and left hand on her hips. She leaned forward and winked at me.

…

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Everyone was just in utter shock. Honestly, no one had no idea what to say. However, Elesis took the time to take a photo of it.

"Elesis?!" I shouted at her, feeling a bit irritated.

She completely ignored me.

The reason why we were all shocked was… well. The only thing Eun was wearing, in Ara's body, was a white button-up shirt that was lazily buttoned and only p…p-panties on. What's more… they were teddy bear printed panties.

"Elsword!" Eun skipped over to me and hugged me. At this point, my mind was in total disarray. I froze.

Everyone was once again shocked. No one moved or said anything. Elesis took another photo and gave us a thumbs-up.

"THAT DOES NOT HELP WHATSOEVER!" I shouted at Elesis again.

"Hey, Elsword. Do you like this?" I stayed in my place. I once more looked over at my equally stuck friends. Aisha and Eve both reacted to her words for some reason. I felt like my life was hanging by a thread based on this question.

"Uh… well."

Well, let us actually think about what I think about this. A girl relatively my age with a bodacious chest, nice curves, and amazing smell is clinging to my body very closely to the point where I can even feel her nips due to her having no bra. I can feel her soft thighs since she is basically just rubbing up and down on me, so my hands still to my sides are just lightly brushing them. I am using every ounce of my strength to resist my friend downstairs to sleep while also resisting the urge to touch anything else.

_Wow… I. I do not know what to say. You know, I actually thought Eun was going to fight, but I can actually tell that she…_

_Has no intentions of doing so?_

_Yeah… actually._

_Hm, would it be too far out of the ball park to say that I am still 100% serious about Ara being a sacrifice?_

Wait… so you are go-

_Now now little boy. I still view Ara as a sacrifice, but do you actually know what for?_

What… are you not just going to use your powers to go on a rampage?

_I see. So that is how it seemed. You know, just because some washed-up priests say that does not mean I share the same view. You see, I do not even wish to fight._

Then… what exactly is your goal?

"You" Eun said it though Ara's body.

Everyone seemed to snap out of a trance after hearing Eun?

"You?" Aisha repeated confused.

"Me?" I said as confirmation.

"Yes… you see. I decided to have you impregnate me."

…

Once again, silence surrounded us. I felt very very bad about this. Extremely bad. I looked over to where the very very bad feeling came from and saw Aisha and Eve both on fire. Of course they were not on fire literally.

"Ah! Aisha, Eve! You two are on fire!" Chung frantically waved his hands.

Okay, maybe they actually are?

_Wow… I. Well…_

I somehow felt Conwell was laughing under his breath.

_That's ah… that's quite the statement Eun. I mean… wow! You… want babies?_

Why Conwell. Do you not know that is one of the many desires of women? Whether instinct or personal?

_Sure! I mean… I have got no problems with it… just. So, exactly what brought this on?_

"Well you see boy, I want Ara to live a happy, normal life. Being with her for so long, I have become attached to her and want to see her do something worthwhile." Her embrace started to feel a lot more warm and gentler.

"Wait, but I thought you said Ara is your sacrifice?" I questioned her.

"Yes… and?" She raised an eyebrow at me.

"… Pardon?" I did not understand. If someone is a sacrifice, then…

"You are not actually assuming that just because Ara is a sacrifice I then just ignore her as a friend, are you?" She gave me a sly smile.

"B-But, you basically just said that no one cares about her and she is just _your_ sacrifice!"

"Yes, and due to that fact, I raised her with my own morals and methods. She is not my friend. She is basically my child to which I can do whatever I want with."

"… B-But you just said you would not go easily." I started to feel faint.

"Yes! Because I will not allow Ara or myself to be with you all unless you impregnate me!" She smiled so innocently, yet she was saying such words.

"… Then why me?" I felt like crying at this point.

"Hmm?" Eun stopped smiling. She pondered.

"Well…" She started being meek all of a sudden.

"Because… oh geez! Making a lady say it in these conditions." She was pouting.

"Whose fault do you think this is?" I responded.

"Because, well. You are the host of Conwell. So…"

… _Eun, do not tell me._

"It makes sense to say that you are also Conwell, so I love you!" She shouted it out bashfully. It was actually really… really… painful.

I lost the strength to think, move, stand. I started to slump my body, not putting any effort to do anything. I'm done.

Aisha had smoke flowing out of her ear. Eve stared at us with a blank expression, as if she just overloaded in a computer sense. Chung was blushing like crazy and trying to hide his face. As for Elesis…

"I approve!" She gave us another thumbs-up.

"Elsword? Are you okay?" Eun asked me, still being bashful.

"I am sorry. But… let me just, digest all of this." Eun let go of my body and I laid down.

"Oh… I see. Quite bold are we?" Eun blushed was lowering her body. She lightly placed herself on top of me in a straddling position.

"What are you doing?" I panicked.

"Hm? You were asking for this were you not?" She purposely put her bottom side on top of my friend downstairs and laid down on me.

"Hey! I do not think I am prepare for this!" I was about to rip her off of me.

"Wait." Her tone was serious. I stopped as she asked.

"Just, let me stay like this for now." She closed her eyes and we both stopped talking. I looked over to everyone else. Elesis was basically just filming us at this point… I do not think she will spread that. I am scared to think of what she will use it for. Aisha and Chung were just completely passed out. Eve was circling around with a blank expression. And here I am experiencing what every guy would dream of.

_Hey Elsword._

What?

_So… about that body possession thing?_

…

_You mind uh… start finding a way so I can do it? You know… so I can talk to Eun in person. Uh. For research?_

You know. At this point, I actually do not mind doing that.

_Alright!_

God dammit Conwell.

Whatever. I guess this case is closed then? So long as we can all go home… I'm too tired for this.

Friday, September, 18th 2014. 5:22 pm.

"No! Those damned kids. How dare they interfere with our ritual? We were going to revive our glorious goddess! Our one and only… Our Love! Why did this have to happen. That boy, Elsword. I must smite him down! Retribution! He has tainted her. Tainted, tainted, tainted, tainted, TAINTED, TAINTED. I must purify. With this orb, it will be easy. I will receive her love. Her blessing. Everyone else, go to HELL. AHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!"

"Well. I am sorry to say. But I need that orb."

"What? Who are you? I- Ack!?"

_Stab_

"…"

"W-What is this… what did you do? How is this possible? I AM THE TRUE HERALD. HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME? ARE YOU THE DEVIL'S INCARNATE? GET AWAY! AHHH!"

_Stab Stab Stab Stab Stab_

"…"

_Stab Stab Stab Stab Stab Stab Stab Stab_

"… May you rest in peace."

_Ring Ring_

"Did you retrieve the orb?"

"Yes."

"Good. I assume then there were no incidents?"

"Yes."

"Return at once."

"Understood."

_Beep_

"So… will this be the last time?"

"Yes. From this point on, I will not be accompanying you any longer."

"I see. Then, can I hug you?"

"No."

"…"

"You should find comfort in something you truly love. I am not shelter for you."

"… I'm sorry."

Friday, September, 18th 2014. 5:53 pm.

"Well, I am glad that is all over. We can finally go home!" Chung happily rejoiced.

"Yes. We can relax for once now." Eve looked relieved.

"Luckily since this incident did not take too long, there will not be much problems with the administration." Elesis trying to act like an authority figure.

"Yes, yes. All fun and dandy. Except for one thing." Aisha points at me and Eun.

"Oh calm down. I do not see the problem." Eun was clinging to my arm, still in the same outfit.

"Well you know. I would not mind much if it was just that you actually loved him. That's great and all, sort of. I mean, since Ara loves him, not much different for a random goddess to say somewhat the same." Wait, I think something strange was within that statement.

"But, it completely different if you are going to assault him for babies."

"Well, then I will not assault him. I'll just have to get Conwell out here and assault Conwell only." She placed his finger on my chest and playfully touched it. I got goosebumps.

"Yeah, of course! That makes everything better. Other than the fact that you are still using Elsword's body!" Aisha tried to rip Eun off of me. Eun proceeded to violently shake Aisha off and she flew in the air for a bit.

"Ugh! Elsword! You say something too! This is your body!" Aisha was scolding me. But what choice did I have. I have no idea how I am supposed to oppose a goddess in this type of situation. If it was just fighting her, sure, but this is just too hard for me to handle.

_At least she is not in love with you, but me!_

How are you unfazed by all of this?

_Well… a girl confessing her love to me. A girl I have known for quite a long time and have enjoyed a time with._

I would not say that having a war together is very pleasant.

_Hey, called for some very precious memories. Either way, I'd say I'm on cloud nine._

Oh brother…

I felt a warm sensation on my cheek. Eun was licking me.

"Eun?" I tried to push her off, but she kept getting closer. Again, I can feel all of her soft parts.

"Oh, it seems like you are in the mood." Eun licked her lips and placed her hand on my groin.

"Ah!" I moaned a little.

In an instant, I was separated from Eun and what stood between us was Elesis.

"Geez, you're so mean big sister!" Eun playfully said.

"Now is the time you start acting like a sister and protect my chastity?" She looked at me and brought out her camera.

"That does not help anything at all." I face palmed.

"I see… then would you like some help." Elesis reached for my groin. I quickly grabbed her wrist.

"No, I do not want that kind of help." Elesis whined.

"I feel bad for Elsword." I hear Chung remark.

"Such is the life of a harem protagonist." Eve followed-up.

"OKAY THEN, SO WHERE ARE WE HEADING?" On a note, we were kind of walking around aimlessly.

"Oh, I just wanted to see if you guys had anything else to say before we actually go home." Aisha said.

"Are you kidding me?" I said in response.

"Moving on! Are we all ready to go and teleport on out of here?" Aisha raised her hand.

"We are!" Everyone but me did the same.

"I am…" I grumpily agreed.

"Alright then." Aisha takes out a stone and stands in the middle of all of us. We all put our hands on the stone.

"WAIT!" Chung shouted in our ears.

"WHAT!" I imitated him.

"We forgot about Raven." We all pondered for a second and all realized.

"Ah…" We all said simultaneously, as if we were in sync.

"You guys need me?" We all look towards the voice and saw Raven walking up to us.

"Raven, where have you been this entire time?" Aisha ran up and smacked his head.

"Ah you know… just doing some things." Raven scratched his head and shrugged Aisha's question off.

"Is that so." I looked at Elesis. Her tone was a bit sullen, and her expression was blank. I looked at Raven who did not react.

"Sigh… whatever. I'm still too tired. Let's just go back home now… everyone, hands on the stone." We all put our hands on the stone and closed our eyes.

_Spirits, guide me._

_I am in a place unknown._

_Take me to the place granted upon this stone._

_Take me away from this place of naught._

_I call upon the spirits to bring me the light that will let me see._

_Let me see what I know as..._

**_Salvation._**

After we got back, we were all teleported somewhere randomly within the continent. So we spent the rest of the day trying to find our way back… good job Aisha. We all met up again sometime at 2:00 am. At that point we were exhausted, so we tried to salvage enough sleep so we could get up in the morning.

_So…_

So…

_Now you have Rena, your childhood sweetheart, Ara, a sexy shrine priestess, and now Eun, a sexy all powerful fox god._

Yep.

_Sounds like you are living the good life of a harem protagonist._

Yep.

… _Damn normies._

I do not see how this situation is normal in any circumstance.

_Whatever that is, what is your plan now? You still need to figure out that thing with Rena._

What do you mean?

_Like I said before, Rena has been acting strange. I wanted to try addressing this issue later, but I have been sensing something strange from Rena for quite a while now._

Define quite a while.

_Ever since the day you all reunited with each other._

…

_While I do not like to make baseless assumptions, there is something going on behind the scenes with her. Do you not agree?_

I can't really full out disagree with you…

_Then?_

Well. If the time comes, I will have Rena tell me.

_So you are going to put your faith in her?_

Yes.

_Young Elsword, you will regret that decision._

You're blowing this out of proportions.

_No, I am actually not. I am being 100% serious. DO YOU NOT HEAR MY SERIOUS TONE?_

Well, it would have been more effective if that last sentence was not so unserious.

_My point still stands. Elsword, you should deal with Rena soon. Waiting will not yield good results._

I have other problems to deal with right now.

_Hmph… ignorance is such a bliss for you youngsters, isn't it?_

Since you are my partner in soul, you should be able to tell right? What my thoughts are on this.

_I see… well. I am only giving my advice. Now then, let us rest for tomorrow. There is still some things Ara and Eun has to say._

Right…

_I awoke. Empty. Void of any color or object. I felt the ground beneath my feet, but saw nothing. I was standing up straight. Awaking from this position was strange. I could not tell where I was or what was happening. I could only gather information from my sense of touch. I could not feel cold or hot. I could feel myself moving my body. I turned my head and searched with my eyes. I saw nothing. I walked straight ahead, not turning. I focused on moving forward. Ten seconds, ten minutes, one hour, two, three, five, ten. I walked until I was blocked by a wall. Again, there was nothing. I stood there, staring into nothing. I hear a voice call out. It was so far away, very faint. Yet, I could tell where it was coming from: the left. I decided to turn and walk once again towards the left. Suddenly, my body felt tired. I was slowing down. I was slowly falling. Softly laying down on my back. I feel my eyelids closing. I started to feel warmth._

Saturday, September 19th, 2014. 10:06 am.

I slowly opened my eyes. I got my body to sit up and looked outside the window to my left. The window blinds blocked the gleaming light trying to shine through. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. I looked directly in front of me to see a girl prostrating herself. Eh?

"Wha…" I softly said to myself. I rubbed my eyes harder and really focused in. It was Ara. She was wearing her usual attire that she always wears for school. She was prostrating herself in front of me, completely still.

"Ara?" I called out to her.

"Elsword!" She responded promptly.

"Yes!" I said as a reflex.

"I am here to apologize for my actions yesterday! I did not mean to do all those things even though you tried so hard to save me!" Her actions yesterday? I was pretty sure I already cleared that up. We agreed that basically she was stupid and I would save her right? I pondered on the statement for a bit. She rose her head and she was tearing up a little.

"You're crying?" I started to panic.

"Ah… oh no. Dear me. I do not mean to cry in front of you like this. It's just… I have inconvenienced you. Especially one point where I could not c-control my body and I ended up h-h-hug… you with such an i-i-indecent attire." She was so nervous as she said that. Quivering and stuttering everywhere.

Ah, that is what she meant. To think I was getting a bit excited. Wait… why would I not be excited? Ara is wholeheartedly thanking me and apologizing for being a nonexistent nuisance. Okay maybe the only excitement was from yesterday…

_Get your head out of the gutters son._

Shut up Conwell!

_You two both realize we can basically hear your every thought right?_

Wait… Eun is right. Which means…

I looked over to Ara to make sure. She was extremely red.

"Anyways! Just, stop being down there. Come sit." I gesture the bed by patting on the spot next to me to my right. Ara nodded and meekly walked up and sat down next to me. She was holding on to the hem of her skirt very tightly.

We sat here not saying anything for a while. I was watching Ara's reaction and every move she made. She just looked away from me. Whether she was closing her eyes or just searching around, she just would not look at me at all.

"Elsword…" She finally said something.

"What's up?" I tried to be as casual as I could about this.

"Um…" Ara was playing with her fingers a lot and staring down. I could tell she was extremely embarrassed over something.

"Wait, don't tell me." I decided to try joking around to bring up the mood.

"Eh?" Ara looked up surprised.

"You are having a period right now?" Ara was bamboozled by my statement. I could hear Conwell just face palming in the background and I felt a strange, murderous aura coming from Ara. It was not Ara herself emitting it, but Eun.

_Quite a tasteless joke if I do say so myself._

"I mean…" I tried to justify it but I was cut off.

_Apologize._

"Yes, I am sorry you two… I just wanted to try and make you smile for a second." Ara looked surprised, but then smiled.

"Something like this?" It was such a tender smile.

"Yeah. Something like that." I smiled back.

"I said some pretty ridiculous things back then. About our relationship." She started talking seriously now.

"Yeah I'll say. Asking me to be your lover when I already have Rena? That is very strange. I tried to stab at her wound.

"Ugu~" Ara was hit by my statement.

"But, it was really nice being with you." She once again smiled.

"Same here. You're a really nice person to be around." I answer back my own feelings about her.

"Elsword… could I be your real lover?" She asked while looking at me. It was probably the most serious I have ever seen her. Even more so than Eun.

"No. I am sorry Ara." I answered back with a bitter smile. Ara looked down for a second. She crept her hand onto mine and held it tightly.

"Then… will you at least still love me and treat me as you have from before?" I could feel her trembling through her hand.

"If you really want me to. I have no problems. Either way, I think Conwell already labelled me as the harem protagonist bastard that gets a happy ending no matter what happens." I shrugged.

"Hey! Who do you think is actually making money in this relationship?" Conwell protested. "While I do put cooking as a high priority, I supposed this might be because you were not paying attention well."

I laugh off Conwell's comment.

"Then, is it okay to touch you and hug you like before?" There was something just not right about that sentence. As in, I do not think that was what our life really was most of the time. But I did not comment on it.

"Yeah. So long as no one objects too harshly."

"I see." She leaned on my body and her head was sitting on my shoulder.

"You are really nice Elsword." Somehow, from this angle, she looked really cute.

_Good job Ara! Now you are one step closer to getting in his pants!_

*crickets*

_You know Eun, recently you have become a huge bitch in heat._

_Now, whatever do you mean you worthless peasant._

_Are you on your period?_

_Oh ha ha. Using the same joke this boy just used. Very good. Ha ha._

_Hey, was worth a try._

"Hey Ara, what did happen to Eun?"

"I wish I knew." The both of us sighed.

_Oh do not worry. It is not like I have completely changed. Just think of it as… an alternate personality. I mean, while I deep down do truly with to copulate with my love, I remain my amazing, sagacious self for all to behold._

"I guess?" I gave up.

_Well for now, I think we should just meet up with the others. It is Saturday, so there are not any classes today._

"Yeah, that is true." Ara nodded in agreement with my response.

I washed up, brushed my teeth, changed my clothes, and we both head out. We went to the courtyard and found everyone there. Elesis, Aisha, Chung, Eve, Raven, and Rena were waiting for us.

"So, you two have a good sleep this morning?" Raven asked us.

I recall the dream I had. I paused for a moment.

"Yeah." I responded. I was a bit aloof.

"Aisha told me about what happened. It seems like you guys had a… interesting time!" Rena paused for a moment.

"Please do not remind me." I hung my head.

_Oh please, remind him of his new bounded duty to this lovely goddess here._

_Okay, now you are just being obnoxious._

_Ooo that's mean!_

"Yes. I also have an announcement to make." Ara spoke clearly. She shot a glance at me and then to the gang.

"I have decided to become Elsword's concubine." She declared it so boldly with a smile while everyone stood with their mouths gapped open.

"Huh!?" Aisha exclaimed first. I could see Elesis nodding her head, but Rena was twitching.

Thinking about it… I had no idea what a concubine was.

"Uh… hey guys. What's a concubine?" Everyone looked at me with an even more shocked expression. Raven looked like he was actually going to explode and cry.

"E-Elsword… do you actually not know?" Chung asked me.

"No. I do not. What does it mean?" I was being genuine.

"Elsword. A concubine is…" Eve walked over and whispered it in my ear.

"WHAT?" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Well… there you have it." Ara clung to my arm and I could see Rena boiling.

"Wait! Who said that you were going to be my concubine?" I asked Ara, trying to separate from her.

"You did. Remember? You said that I could continue to love you as I had from before. So, since I love you so much, but you also love Rena a lot, I will settle with being your second wife. Also known as, your concubine!" Ara kept her grip on me.

"Elsword, you should really be careful with what you say." Raven told me, with a symphathetic tone.

"It is not like it is a bad thing in the first place. But I did not think you were this type of person." Chung added on.

"Pervert! World class pervert! Scum! Leecher! Depraved! Corrupt! Pervert!" Aisha was just verbally bashing on me. I look at Rena.

"You…" She had her head down. I could not make out her expression, but I could tell it was not good.

"I will not accept you! Elsword is mine and mine only!" Rena tackled me and pushed me down. She separated me from Ara and covered my entire body with hers.

"But… I want to love him too!" Ara was squirming.

_Ah, well at least Rena is acting a little more normally now._

It is a good sign… but am I going to survive through this?


	23. Ch 20: The Tournament

_I awoke. Empty. Void of any color or object. This scenario. I remember. I touched the ground with my hands and feet. I pushed off to try and stand. I recall my first time here. I had walked to the far end straight in front. I stopped at a wall and decided to walk left to a sound. I slept since then. I should keep moving. That warmth that had enveloped me last time was gone. I felt nothing. I walked towards the left. I pondered for a while. I searched for my left arm with my right hand. Once I found it, I tried to pinch myself. I felt my right hand pinching my left arm, but I did not feel anything else. Were my nerves cut off? This time, I tried to find my stomach with my right hand. Once I found it, I lifted my hand, made a fist, and punched myself in the stomach with every ounce of strength I could muster. I did not feel pain. It was interesting. Then suddenly I thought to myself, why did I even think of that in the first place? I focused on walking. After a bit, I decided to try sprinting full ahead. Once again, hours passed. I heard a voice. It was soft, but much more clear than the last time. I felt something in my body. I felt a heartbeat. I did not realize that my heart was not beating. Or was it? I felt another thing. Some feeling that echoed throughout my body. It made me want to sprint faster as if I was desperate. What is this feeling… excitement. My body started to ache. Although physically harming myself did nothing, I now feel pain. For another few hours I ran. Soon, I saw something white. Within all this darkness, something white appeared. For some reason, looking at this white speck made my body feel heavy. I started to feel warmth. I tried to tell my body to move, but it was hard. Too long… not enough time… I was slowing down. I was slowly falling. Softly laying down on my back. I feel my eyelids closing. Ah, this warmth started to become cold._

* * *

Monday, September 21st, 2014. 6:13 am.

I slowly opened my eyes. I remember my dream. I thought it was just a random dream, but I had it again. The last time was on Saturday. Today is Monday. What is that dream?

Hey Conwell.

_Hello Elsword._

What is up with that dream?

_Dream?_

Yeah.

_What do you mean?_

The one I had while sleeping just now. Being in that dark place and such.

…

Conwell?

_Yes, I have no idea what you mean. The dream you had just now was of you being conflicted with Ara and Rena._

What? That's impossible. I do not even remember dreaming about that.

_Well, some humans are just not able to recall their dreams. You are of those people._

But I am positive that I had this weird dream.

_Oh well._

Oh well?

_Either way, should you not be dealing with your situation right now?_

What situation?

_Pull your blanket off._

I was confused at Conwell's words.

_Actually, before you do that. Try putting both your hands down._

Huh?

_Yeah. Put them both down._

I was even more confused. But I listened to him and did as he said.

_Now put them under your blanket and slide them down. After that, move your left arm in an arc over and then push your left hand to your side. For your right arm, turn your palm to make it face right and push out._

While I was doing these weird movements, I kind of felt something blocking the way. But I was already engrossed in seeing what would happen after all of this. I felt something soft at the end. It was really soft and warm. It felt really nice. I tried squeezing it.

"Ahn!" I felt a sweat drop. I heard two lovely voices as soon as I squeezed.

_Have fun dealing with that situation. I sure hope that NOBODY comes in._

I finally realized what Conwell meant. My whole body felt sweaty all of a sudden. But at the same time, I could not stop fondling these two amazing melons. I realize I was in a bad situation, but my reason was taken over by lust. The longer I continued, the more these two voices stimulated my brain. From sweet, lovely voices, they became such erotic, corrupted voices. This is not my fault. This is theirs for coming in.

Rena, Ara. Thank you for this wonderful meal.

"Geez… you are such a perverted boy." My hands froze. I looked to my right to see Ara looking at me. Except, her eyes were different once more; red. I looked down to see that all she was wearing was only the usual top of her entire outfit. This is basically just as good as being in a dress shirt. Actually, her top is not even zipped up!

"You know. It's alright to touch it directly." She guided my right hand under her top and placed it on top of her breast. It was even better. I never felt something so amazing before. It was a completely different experience than over cloth.

"Oh my… you seem to be feisty. It's only 6 as well." Eun lightly touched my friend downstairs. She merely placed a finger on it and slid up and down.

"T-This is bad. Please stop Eun!" I pleaded with a quiet voice.

"Hm… but this guy looks to be in so much pain. So sad." Eun's eyes somehow felt seductive. Her lips were gleaming. Eun slowly moved her face towards mine. She went to my ear.

"Hey… do you want to 'do it'?" I could not hold it in. I exploded up from the bed and immediately ran towards the bathroom. I locked the doors.

* * *

Ara's POV

_Hm. Well, that was rather entertaining._

Eun! Please give my back control!

_Ah. Were you awake this entire time?_

Yes! I cannot believe that you would do such an indecent act!

_Indecent act? You also realize that declaring yourself to be Elsword's concubine is just as indecent as well?_

B-B-But… I… I just want to be with him.

_You can also do that by being his friend._

No! It does not work unless I am with him forever!

_Oho?_

N-No! I do not wish it to mean like that! I just… want to be by his side forever. I hope we could always be together and have fun…

_Just the three of you?_

What? Um… oh. Wait no. I mean, it would be better if our friends were with us. I was just saying that I in particular just want to be next to him. I would not try to keep him to myself and Rena. Also it is not indecent! I will make sure that I do not hinder him in whatever he desires! Wait… that does not make sense. Hau~

_Calm down Ara. I was just teasing you._

Y-Yes…

… _On that note. What if Rena is not there and Elsword gets extremely aroused?_

Eh?

_What will you do? I mean, it is very hard for a boy to concentrate on anything else if he is aroused in the slightest._

I-Is that so?

_Yes. I suppose since you have never felt horny before that you would not understand. Think of it like this though. Let us say that your crotch started to hurt a lot because you were thinking of something considered 'sexy'. Would you be able to go through your day ignoring that pain?_

No.

_Right, you would worry about it. That case is the same in Elsword's. Boys tend to get this feeling extremely often, compared to girls who deal with other 'girl specific' problems._

Really? I had no idea.

_Right… the only way for a boy to relieve such a pain is through masturbation._

Masturbation?

_Right. Basically, masturbation is…_

Yes… yes… hm. I understand.

_Oh, you took that quite well… is what I would like to say._

W-What do you mean? It… it is something important right? To relieve stress a-a-and… p… p-p…

_Pleasure oneself._

Right!

_Sometimes, I cannot tell which personality is actually you Ara._

Eh?

_Nothing. Well, back to my original question, what would you do for Elsword then?_

Um… well. Then he would… just have to do 'that' then yes?

_Yes. I do have to mention that it is extremely hard for boys to ma-_

Do not say it!

… _relieve themselves if they do not have 'material' for it._

Material?

_Yes… for example, pornography._

P-P…P!

_You do not have to force yourself to say it._

That… those are those… indecent books, right?

_Well, that is one of the form of uh… 'material', yes._

I see… w-what is the most effective?

_A girl herself._

Eh!?

_Of course. It has to be a girl herself. I mean, Elsword could probably get off easily if it was you Ara._

Me?

_Of course. If you were to pose naked for him, or possibly even 'relieve yourself' in front of him. He would have no problems 'relieving himself'._

Are there any problems with doing it without 'material'?

_Well, it could take a very long time, maybe an hour, because the guy is not stimulated enough. But it could also hurt a lot because his arm would start cramping and rubbing 'it' can kind of stretch it and damage the tissues._

That's bad!

_Exactly. So with that in mind, would you be able to help Elsword in those times?_

Um… well.

_How about you try envisioning it for a moment?_

Okay.

I tried to imagine it happening. Rena left for training. Elsword and me are alone in a house. Something happened to Elsword and he is aroused…

Eun. How do I know if a boy is aroused?

_Ah… I guess you do not even know that… Oh well, cannot be helped. We will end this discussion for now, so let's just try and freshen up._

Okay.

I feel a bit relieved. I was getting a little stressed by this talk.

_For your information, when a boy is aroused, their stick attached to their crotch becomes 'erect'. Meaning it will stand up._

Eh? Stand up?

_Yes… alright I am gonna go relax. Later._

Ah! Eun!

She completely cut off. Stand up? Stick? In the crotch? I was still confused and had many questions. I guess I will just wait when Eun will teach me again. I felt the bed shift. I look over and see Rena up.

"Rena! G-Good morning!" I greet her.

She looked at me. Her eyes looked very dark and she had a frown.

"Um… Rena?" I got scared. Did she perhaps see?

"Ah… sorry. I had a scary face on." Rena rubbed her eyes and smiled at me.

"Oh. I see." I sighed in relief. I hear the bathroom door open and see Elsword awkwardly walk out.

"Good morning Elsword." Rena greeted Elsword.

"Ah! Er… good morning." Elsword responded stiffly. He walked hunched over very slowly.

"Elsword? Are you okay? You're slouching a lot." I asked.

"Oh me? No, I am good. I am just still a little tired." He was panicking. Now that I look at him, he was putting his arms strangely stuck in front of his legs. Something clicked.

"Elsword." I walked up to him. He backed a little in surprise.

"Y-Yes?" He timidly asked.

"A-A…" I was trying to gather my courage.

"A?" Elsword looked confused.

"A…A-A!" I closed my eyes.

"Are you aroused right now?" I tried to make my voice clear. There was silence for a moment. I opened my eyes and look at Elsword. He was blushing crazy. I looked over at Rena and she was the same.

"W-Well… Ara. I. I never thought… you of all people would. Okay well, I do not think I have ever seen anyone… ask that kind of question." Rena looked at me, then at Elsword, and then bashfully looked away.

"Eh?" I thought about those words. Does that make me a pervert? Did I just get labelled a pervert?

"N-No! It is because… Eun told me." I looked at Elsword. He had a face of disgust.

"Eun told me that… it is hard for boys to relieve themselves without 'material' if they are ever aroused. So… I just wanted to make sure that Elsword was not. I do not wish to see him troubled." I tried to convey my honest feelings. I see Elsword crying.

"I see. You were that worried about me. I am sorry." He clasped my hands.

"N-No no. I am your concubine now. So stuff like this should be normal… I think." I answered hesitantly.

"I do not accept this! Elsword is mine! You do not have to worry about him." Rena embraced Elsword once more. When she did, she yelped in a strange voice.

"I… I will be the one to relieve him. So you do not have to worry." Rena looked at me with a frown. But it was a light-hearted frown.

"Rena!?" Elsword was in complete disarray. He looked so confused and was blushing a lot.

"No. I did not wish for it to be like that. I was just worried, honest. Of course you should be the one to tend to him since… you are his wife." Rena and Elsword both turned into tomatoes.

"Whoa! That's… that's pretty far into the future Ara!" Elsword was flailing his arms around.

"But the both of you love each other very much. So it would make sense for you both to get married eventually, right?" Their gazes turned soft for a moment. I felt like they were mocking me somehow.

"Anyways… um. Shall we get ready now?" I tried to move this along. But Elsword stopped me.

"Hold up one minute… there is one problem that MUST be solved right now!" Elsword gestured with pointing his right index finger downwards.

"What problem?" I asked confused.

"WHY WERE YOU BOTH IN MY ROOM TO BEGIN WITH?" Elsword yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Elsword! You are going to wake up every one!" Rena tried to reason with him, but Elsword did not care.

"Uuu…" I did not wish for this to happen… maybe I should have asked later.

* * *

Monday, September 21st, 2014. 8:40 am.

Elsword's POV

"Hey! How was everyone's morning!" Raven cheerfully asked. Nobody said anything. In fact, they all looked towards me. Why would they look towards me? Not like anything actually changed? Oh wait it did. Cold glares stabbing through my body. My friends are giving me suggestive looks as if I am hitting it off really well. Only one person was a bit concerned about me. Why is that? I do not think it would be due to the fact that there are two school beauties who moved their desks to cling onto me. What's more is… they both do not look bothered in the slightest to each other and anything else.

Well, it's not like this is bad. I mean, I am one lucky guy to be able to experience something like this. I just pray for my safety.

"So Mr. Sieghart…" I haven't heard that in a while. "How does it feel to have Ms. Parker and Ms. Han on both of your arms? How does it feel to be considered the luckiest bastard to have ever lived?" Some guy was imitating a reporter with a microphone. I decided to try playing along.

"Well you know. It feels amazing! Cause now everyday I-"

"He is attended to by these two gorgeous ladies, day and night." I was cut off by my own older sister.

"Wait! What?" I started to panic.

"Wait? Attended? What do you mean exactly?" The guy went over to Elesis.

"Well just this morning even, Rena and Ara were in his room you see. And Elsword was aroused." Elesis said this all with a straight face.

Wait wait, dear sister. Dear blood related sister whom I hold high respects for and would not dare to defy. What are you spewing out?

"You see, I even heard Ara ask Elsword if he was aroused. Now if a man and his two lovers were to have that kind of conversation, it is quite obvious to see what the end results would be." Elesis somehow gave a very convincing analysis.

"So are you telling me that Elsword has already gone all the way with these two?" The reporter was getting way too enthusiastic about the wrong things! Rena stepped in and grabbed his arm.

"I am sorry, but there is a misunderstanding." Rena! Good job!

"Elsword has not ever done anything to Ara. Everything he does, he does it only to me." Rena! Bad job!

"That's not very convincing when you are blushing like crazy." Raven teased Rena. I could see Rena give Raven a very scary stare. He put his hands up.

"Well, on a serious note. Are you still aroused little brother?" Elesis went over to me and hugged me.

"Elesis?" She squeezed me a bit too hard.

"Dear older sister…" I corrected myself.

"Because you know… if you are still backed up. You can always come to me. Your big sister will take care of it for you." I immediately separated from her.

"Now that is indecent." Eve stated so calmly.

"Damn you Elsword!" I could feel the jealous rage of the other guys in the classroom.

Soon after, a loud slam silenced us. Ms. Azquith walked into the room.

"Everyone, seats!" We all scrambled into our seats. Rena and Ara both fixed their seats in the process.

"Now… while I do not really care or even wish to care about what you all talk about. But I must ask that you all keep it PG. No debauchery please. And Mr. Sieghart." She looked at me sharply.

"Yes!" I answered promptly.

"It is not healthy to be having sexual relations with two people. You should hurry up and decide on one." I felt like something just shot me in the knee.

"Y…Yes. I will be more aware." My face met with my desk.

"Good… now then class. I have a very important announcement to make." She went to the board and started writing something.

"Celebrate, for next week you will all have the chance to demonstrate your abilities in a fitting tournament." Ms. Azquith was rather energetic about this.

"What tournament Ms. Azquith?" Aisha raised her hand and asked.

"Well. I will let our event coordinator explain." She moves away from the podium. Elesis stood up and walked to the front.

"Yes. For next week, the first time ever, the Knight of the Round Council will be holding a tournament. This tournament is basically a promotion and demotion match for us knights to see if we are truly fit for our titles."

Everyone exploded. A loud roar of surprise and excitement filled the entire room. Elesis stood there smiling with her eyes closed.

_Really? That's incredible! That means we get to fight against the Knight of the Round?_

_Are you crazy? That sounds like death!_

_Pssh. Too easy. This will be a piece of cake._

_On the contrary, this should be probably the most monumental event to be ever conceived. Considering that means Elesis will be participating._

_Do you guys really expect yourselves to hold a candle next to any of them? That's insane!_

"Ahem!" Elesis signaled for everyone to calm down and be quiet. She cleared her throat.

"Yes. Basically this will be a randomly generated tournament. Every participant will face off against each other first. It will come down to grand finals to determine who will proceed to the match against us Knight of the Round. That person will then have a week break to prepare for his first match against the lowest seeding knight. If that person wins that match, another week break occurs and said person will repeat this cycle until either he loses, or he has beaten every single knight. So then what happens to the knights who loses? They will have to fight each other to see who gets kicked out. Since that information is rather unimportant, we will not discuss how that works." Suddenly the atmosphere became very dense.

That's pretty insane. If someone was to be some kind of genius and actually beat a few of the knights, they would have to do elimination matches?

_Well, that is how the hierarchy works. If someone is unfit for his title, they have to somehow give it to someone else, and that is usually through some sort of competition. Whether it be election, physical battle, or mental battle, there must be a method._

"As for who is eligible, it is a cap of twenty people. So the twenty people will be based off of hand chosen picks by the leader of the Knight of the Round." Elesis's face became extremely scary.

"That would mean…" Chung commented.

"Yes. I will be the one who decides who are the twenty participants." Somehow, Elesis's words had serious weight behind them. It was dreadful to hear them.

_What? That's no fair!_

_Yeah, even if she is the leader, doesn't this mean she will just pick favorites?_

_She's just going to pick her stupid brother. No fair!_

_I could easily take down that weakling Elsword. Heck! I don't even need a weapon._

"**Silence!"** Elesis's words shook the room. The room temperature dropped tremendously.

"I may be Elsword's elder sister, and I may have a sweet spot for him. And I do show favoritism to a few select people. But do you honestly believe for me to choose people on such a careless thought? I am the leader of the Knight of the Round, the symbol of pride, justice, and loyalty. The people I choose for this tournament will only be the people who have deserved it through his or her sweat and blood. Make no mistake, I never put my own interests first. My priorities lie within reinforcing the Knight of the Round to continue to be a true model for all of you students." Elesis was genuinely angry. I have never seen her speak so passionately. Not since the first time she gave me knighthood training.

* * *

_Ugh! Why do I have to practice the basics so much?_

_Do not complain Elsword. The fundamentals are crucial to becoming a great knight._

_I don't see why I can't just learn a bunch of crazy moves?_

_Elsword. Just because you know a bunch of moves does not make you stronger than others. The reason why there are strong knights is because they fully understand their respective weapons. They understand the fundamentals and have built themselves a style of fighting that no one else has. There are more things to fighting than just knowing how to fight. There is also the understanding of fighting._

* * *

Back then, Elesis was a lot nicer…

_Well. She is nice now… to you at least._

… I take that back, Elesis was moderately nice back then.

_Mmm, sounds about right._

"That is why I will be holding a test for whoever wants to participate. Anyone is free to apply. But these tests will be rigorous and complicated. It is not for those who have not truly given their full effort to improving themselves as a warrior and as a person." Elesis walked over to me. She still had a very serious look on her face.

"That being said, Elsword." Her sharp gaze was piercing through me.

"Yes!" I answered with the same demeanor.

"Do you wish to participate in the tournament?"

"Yes!" Without hesitation!

"Okay, you are eligible." She said nonchalantly.

"Yes! Wait no, what?" Everyone's jaw dropped.

"Yes. I mean, if you asked for it and you really want to be in it, then I have no choice but to accept. Honestly, it is troubling to be your sister and have you ask for everything you want. But I have raised you myself and you did show great improvements. What reason do I have to deny you honestly?" She said it so seriously without the slightest hint of any ulterior motive. It was really scary.

"Hey! That is some bullshit right there!" Aisha bursted out.

"Ms. Ryder, your language!" Elesis snapped back at her.

"No! Seriously, do not joke around like that Elesis." Aisha was getting angry now.

"I do not jest Aisha, most especially for these kinds of discussions. Elsword is the first person admitted to the tournament. He has already passed certain requirements for being in the tournament. I will not have you question my authority any further" Elesis still kept calm and snapped back at Aisha.

"What requirements?" Aisha crossed her arms.

"Aisha. Do not press me on this matter." This time, Elesis's eyes were completely empty. Everyone was taken aback.

"Elesis?" Aisha became a bit timid.

Elesis stared hard at Aisha. It was uncomfortable. Her eyes were just void of any life. It felt like something was creeping up to my neck. It was suffocating.

"Elsword will be competiting in the tournament, not requiring a test. Any other person who wishes to compete will have to complete my test. That is all, understood?" Elesis scanned the room. No one dared make a single complaint or objection.

"Thank you Elesis. Now that the announcement has been made, everyone open your textbooks. We will continue where we left off of Friday." Ms. Azquith acted as if nothing big happened. It was incredible that she was unfazed by Elesis's aura. To be honest, I was frightened a little.

_Elsword. The fact that you are able to compete in the tournament without any checks or regulations. Something is up._

Yeah. I realize that as well.

_From now until the tournament, you are going to have to seriously work on your skills. Whether they are through your own abilities, or with me._

I understand.

At the end of this all though, I felt very uncomfortable. I am getting the same feeling as back then when we were kidnapped by that insane Zed guy. Whatever the case, I hope nothing too serious happens. But still, getting the chance to fight against the top ten people at a school like this. It gets me going! I will win the entire thing!


	24. Ch 21: Conflicted Feelings

Monday, September 21st, 2014. 10:27 am.

We were all having lunch together at the roof of the school. Chung, Eve, and Raven were all happily eating. Rena was feeding me from a lunch box she had made. Ara was eating rather slowly. It seemed that she wanted to try feeding me, but Rena was giving a very menacing aura. Aisha looked like she had something on her mind the entire time.

"Hey, what do you guys think about that announcement?"

"The part about Elsword somehow passing certain requirements and being admitted to the tournament?" Eve restated what Elesis said earlier.

"Right. Something is going on behind the scenes here." Aisha followed up.

"Well. Maybe they are curious about Elsword." Raven was sitting back in a relaxed posture.

"What do you mean Raven?" Chung asked.

"Since Elsword has Conwell, the higher authorities basically expect more from him than majority of the student body." A sound reasoning by Eve.

"Then would they not want Ara as well? They did set up this whole thing with Elsword and her." Chung questioned.

"To be honest, it is probably a no brainer that Ara will get in easily. I mean, we all are right?" Rena somehow saw a bright side to all of this.

"Perhaps. But why go the extra mile for Elsword?" Aisha pushed on.

"What do you think Elsword? Considering you are the person mainly affected." Eve redirected everyone to me.

"Honestly, I can't say I am a bit off by that statement. I'm more concerned about Elesis's behavior at the time. When she was talking back to Aisha, she was a completely different person." Everyone agreed with me. There was definitely something wrong with Elesis.

"Well, all that aside, I'm just going to focus on training so I can prepare for the tournament." I look over at Ara. For a moment, she looked lifeless.

"Ara, what's wrong?" I asked her.

"Eh?" She looked up shocked. Her face was pale.

"Ah. I am sorry. I am fine." She gave a grin. It wasn't very convincing.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am fine. I think I just need to kiss you to feel better."

"What?" I responded.

"…Eh?" Ara responded, confused.

"No… that was not me." Her voice softened. She started blushing.

"Don't tell me…" I had a hunch what was happening.

Ara's eyes started to spin. She placed her hands on her cheek and shook her head. Then she ran towards the fence and jumped off. Everyone gasped in unison.

"I…Is she going to be fine?" Chung seemed a bit worried.

"Well… she is part fox right? So landing from a tall height shouldn't be too bad." Raven reassured him with an awkward smile.

"Confirmed. If she does have the abilities of a fox, then landing from the rooftop is no problem. Also there are trees located in front of where she jumped off of." Eve back again with the sound reasoning.

We all waited in silence. After a moment.

"Actually, I can hear footsteps." Rena said. We all listened.

"Ah." Aisha was the only one to verbally respond.

The door opened slowly and out came an exhausted Ara.

"I apologize greatly for my actions just now." She slowly walked over to us with twigs and leaves all over her body. She bowed.

"It's fine." Raven replied.

"I am going to go get some fresh air." Ara smiled and left the rooftop.

"Now Ara is acting strange." Chung commented on her behavior.

"She left her lunch here." Raven reached over and grabbed the lunch Ara left and ate it himself.

"Yeah. I wonder what's actually happening." Aisha sounded really worried now. "There are obviously a lot of things we do not know yet."

Despite being worried about it myself, I wanted to drop this topic now. The atmosphere was getting a bit dense.

"Oh well. I guess we just aren't adult enough for them." I shrugged and stood up. "Either way, I'm gonna win the entire tournament!"

Aisha sighed at me. Everyone else smiled and laughed.

"Well, you can try." Raven said sarcastically.

Lunch passed by with idle talk after that. We just decided to not talk about Elesis or Ara any longer and went on with our day. My day went on regularly with me going to the swordsman for some activities. Then it was the fire magic club activities. Then after school officially ended...

Monday, September 21st, 2014. 4:10 pm.

I made my way to the courtyard. I stood in front of the fountain. I close my eyes and start to think.

_So. What's up buddy?_

Just thinking.

_Thinking about what exactly?_

What should I do now.

_Wanting to prepare for the tournament next week?_

Yeah. Lately, the only training I have ever done was club activities. Everyone seems to be busy so I can't ask for a training partner. I don't think training by myself will help me at all.

_That's not exactly true. You could hone your fire magic. It's also not like your swordsman skills are the best as well._

How am I supposed to go about that then?

_Just do some shadow training._

Shadow training huh… I don't see how that will help honestly.

_Really now._

There's got to be some other way.

"Elsword." I open my eyes. My train of thought broken, I turned my head towards the voice.

"Elesis?" My sister walked briskly to me. Her eyes were sharp. Very sharp.

"You are done with your club activities?" Her tone sounded a bit distant.

"Yes." I answer back.

"I see." Her eyes started to scan me. I didn't say anything. We stayed like this for a moment.

"Then, would you like to do some _special_ training?"

"Huh?"

"Like I said. Since you are entering the tournament and are required to fight against other strong fighters, you will need some special training."

_Well. She is right. And if you don't think training solo will help you, then this works right?_

Right.

"Alright, let's do it then!" I lift a fist up to show my enthusiasm.

Elesis's mouth opened slightly. For a moment it looked like her mouth curved downwards.

"Then, come with me." Elesis turned to another direction. I walked behind her.

We walked out the front gates and straight into the forest. After a few minutes of walking, we ended up in a field of sunflowers. Strange. All the way out here in the middle of the forest are a bunch of sunflowers. Elesis stood in the middle of the field. She didn't move for quite a while. I decided to wait. Now, I'm not even sure how much time passed by. After waiting what seemed like an eternity, Elesis finally turned to me.

"Elsword, come over here." Her voice was a bit shaky. I did as she asked and walked over. I was in front of her. She looked straight into my eyes.

I was met with her cold gaze. It seemed that with every passing second, her eyes would slowly lose detail. Her pupils were getting smaller. The color slowly draining. The light seemed to be void. My body reacted as well. I started to feel a cold sweat. My heart beating slightly faster. I started to really think about the situation now. Why was Elesis acting this way? Literally only two days passed and she took a complete 180. What could have possibly happened? Actually, just now her tone did not match her face.

Elesis sighed. "Elsword, spar with me." She took a few paces away from me and unsheathed her sword.

I froze in place. I was still shaken by her eyes.

"Elsword." Her tone was a bit more stern and loud. I shook my head and unsheathed my sword. I got in stance.

"Come!" Elesis put some strength into that single word. I dashed towards her. She didn't raise her sword at all. I stopped in place.

"What's wrong." Elesis asked me, a bit irritated this time.

"Um. I could ask the same. Why aren't you getting in stance?"

"There is no need. Not if you are going to lose will and stop an attack mid-way." Those words angered me.

"I see. So that's how it's going to be." I tightened my grip. I breathed in and out deeply. "Then." I got in stance again and dashed. This time, I did not stop regardless of whether she moved or not. I went in to slash.

Elesis simply moved to the side and kicked me away. It was a very strong kick. I was pushed back far. I tried to get back on my feet, but all of a sudden my sides were burning.

"What was that." Elesis quickly ran to me and kicked me again.

I heard a crack.

I flew back further and I hit a tree. Before I even had a chance to move, Elesis gripped my face with hand. She picked me up and slammed me into the tree. I fell to the ground. I laid on my back. My entire body started to burn.

"Elsword. Get up." Elesis called out to me. I tried to stand again, but I fell to my knees.

"Elsword!" She shouted at me.

"I can't. Some of my bones are broken." As these words came out, Elesis went to me. Right as I finished my sentence, Elesis picked me up by grabbing my sides. The pain only intensified.

"Ack! E-Elesis?" My body jolted and I tried to get her hands off me.

"Elsword. This is not a game. This is real life. This is what could happen to you on a real battlefield." My eyes opened wide. I couldn't believe what Elesis was saying and doing now. She'd become so serious in the span of two days. Something was horribly wrong.

"Elesis. What's going on?" Elesis didn't react.

"This is special training. You are going to be fighting the top 10 people of the school, including me. Do you think I am not strong enough to murder you?" Murder. Murder?

Murder… murder me? Those words struck me harder than anything else I've heard today. Why did she say that? My head started hurting. More than that, it felt like it was splitting. My body was feeling extremely hot. Somehow the pain subsided. I felt really sick. Why would Elesis say something like that? What's going on? Another thought went to my head. Why was I in such pain? I have fought quite a few battles already. But none of them were as intense as this. Was Elesis really just this strong?

"I see. You are still weak." Her expression at that time. It was a mixture of emotions. If I were to explain it, it was every emotion you could think of that was the complete opposite of happy. Elesis threw me against a tree. My mind started to slowly blank out. My vision blurred and everything started to turn black.

Elesis's POV

Die. I want to die. Fuck. I can't think. Why? Why is this happening? Weak. I'm too weak. I can't do anything. I can't stop them. Not without Conwell. But that would mean… Fuck.

… My heart hurts. My head hurts. My hands are dirty.

"What is this…?"

Ara? Why is she here? She shouldn't be here. Actually, I guess it doesn't matter. Does it? I don't know.

I need to leave.

Elsword's POV

_I awoke. Empty. Void of any color. The white speck was still there. Wait. There was color. The once white speck is now red. Pain. I felt pain everywhere. Behind me, an invisible wall appeared. The red speck, small and distant, was getting bigger. My pain grew the more the red speck grew. To my right was an invisible wall. To my left was nothing. I sprinted to the left. I was not sure what was happening, but I knew I had to get away from the red speck. It seemed that the red speck was chasing after me. Time went by. I could not let up my guard. The red speck was coming at me at the same speed. It did not take long this time. I hit another invisible wall. I look back at the red speck. It continued to come closer and closer. The pain grew more and more. It felt like my body was crying out. I slowly fell to the ground. I feel my eyelids closing. This pain is too much._

"E..d. …lswo... Els…. Elsword!" I heard a voice call out to me. I opened my eyelids slowly. I see Ara with wet eyes.

"Elsword! You are awake!" She hugged me. She was squeezing me hard.

"Ow!"

"Ah. I am sorry." She backed off a little.

"My entire body is still burning." Ara gently rubbed my chest.

"Hey. Why was Elesis hurting you?" I guess Ara saw. I looked at her face. She was scared?

"I'm not too sure myself. She said it was _special training._" Ara's eyes widened and her expression was that of horror. Did she know something?

"Ara. Do you know what's going on?" She tried to get away. I grabbed her left arm before she could get on her feet. My arm was still aching, so it was a bit hard.

"I think it is better if you do not ask me Elsword. Actually, please do not ask me." Ara bowed her head towards me.

I was a bit hurt by her statement. On a second thought, Conwell hasn't been talking this entire time.

"Oh well then. If you don't want to say, that's fine with me." I steadily got on my feet.

"Are you okay?" Ara asked me worriedly.

"Well. I've been better. But this shouldn't be too bad I think. I just need to get patched up." I tried to walk, but I stumble over. Ara supported me up.

"Let me help you." She smiled at me. Somehow, her smile felt really refreshing.

"Thanks." I answer back with a smile.

Ara helped me back into the school. I got treated at the infirmary. They sent me to my room to rest for the entire day. My injuries would heal by tomorrow evening. Ara stayed with me for a bit.

Monday, September 21st, 2014. 7:31 pm.

"Elsword! Are you okay?" Chung, Raven, Eve, and Aisha all came into my room. It seems they heard about what happened.

"Yeah. I'm doing fine." I smile and scratch my head.

"Did Elesis really do this to you?" Aisha was frowning.

"Yeah." I say it softly. My smile was gone.

"I see." Aisha closed her eyes and sighed. Everyone was looking down. It was reasonable. There were many conflicting feelings within all of us now. Elesis whom we had always looked up to. She is acting in such a strange way now. In the end though, we all understood this was something extremely deep and serious. For Elesis to be so violent towards us. This incident isn't something to be taken lightly.

"Maybe we should go ask Principal Xerath." Ara suggested.

"Nothing." Raven said very pessimistically.

"We have already consulted the principal. He answered that the matter was private. We are not allowed to pry any further." Eve explained.

"No way." Ara couldn't believe it.

I realized something else.

"Where's Rena?" I asked as I looked around.

"Rena said she had something come up. She regrettably could not come right now." Chung answered.

It seems that everything is just changing all of a sudden. It wasn't that long ago since the matter with that vice principal. Then we had that incident with Ara's home. Now this. I started feeling disheartened. As if my motivation was being drained out of me.

I felt like doing nothing. I wanted to do nothing. At the same time though, I wanted this situation to change.

"Oh well." I stretched out my arms slowly. Everyone was a bit surprised.

"I guess all I can do then is train. I haven't been putting enough effort into it anyways." I smiled.

Everyone looked at me strangely, but then they smiled.

"You're such an idiot Elstupid." Aisha started acting like a brat once more.

"If that's what you want. I guess we should leave then so you can actually rest." Raven signaled everyone. They all followed him out, except for Ara.

"Elsword. You said you want to be stronger?" Ara asked me, looking a bit serious.

"Yeah." I responded without hesitation.

"Then, shall we train together?"

Again, something out of the blue. Training together with Ara. It probably would help me out more than it would ever help her out. I guess she is worried about me in her own way.

"Yeah. I would like that."

"I see. Then, when you get better, how about we train Monday to Friday after 6 pm."

"That sounds fine."

"Great. We will stop whenever you feel like stopping then." Her expression softened.

"Alright then." I accepted her offer. Training with Ara would help me. I'm still weak compared to her. This training should help me a lot as of now.

"Then, step 1. Help Elsword get well." She gestured a one with her finger and giggled.

"Right." I laid my head on my pillow.

"Um… in that case." Ara's face was flushed.

"What?" I had a strange feeling about this.

"I… I-I should wash your b-b-body down!" She was stuttering hard and her movements were awkward. She had a sponge out with a small bucket for water. Actually, where did those come from?

"Eh? Ah. Well. I don't think that _you_ have to Ara. I can do it fine myself." I tried to get her off of that role, but she would not yield.

"No! You're still injured. I should do it. Besides, you might do it too roughly." The irony of how doing it too softly would result in a bigger catastrophe. "Just sit still. I'll start with your back." Ara shyly got the sponge wet.

"F..Fine." I reluctantly agreed and turned my back to her. She lifted up my shirt. I couldn't see her face so I didn't know exactly what was happening.

"Then… here I go." Ara's voice was a bit shaky. I felt the sponge make contact with my back. It was properly lathered in soap and water. She rubbed my entire back with the sponge.

"Um. Is this fine?" The sponge was still a bit rough as well, so it kind of hurt my back which was still bruised.

"It's fine. It just hurts a little." Ara's hands stopped moving. I heard scrubbing, but it wasn't on my back. Soon after, I felt something incredibly soft on my back. I straighten up.

"H-How about this?" Ara asked softly.

"Ara, don't tell me…" These were… her breasts?

"Because you said it was hurting, right?" I did say that indeed, but to do something like this is criminal!

"I… I think that's enough Ara." I resist the urge to attack her. But those two sweet melons felt so nice. I could actually feel the tip brushing me as well. Simply too unbearable.

"Then… how about the fro-"

"Okay then! You can leave now Ara. I can get the rest of my body by myself!" I just started saying one thing after another to get her away.

"Ah… okay." She sounded a bit disappointed. "But I will not leave just yet. I will leave when I see you are sleeping well."

I feel like that last statement had some ulterior motive to it.

"Anyways… did it feel good?" Ara asked meekly.

All I could do was give a thumbs-up. Ara laughed a little.

"I see." She crawled on the bed and sat right next to me. I didn't say anything. I just let it happen and slowly closed my eyes. This felt nice. It was very calming.

I wish days like this would continue. I wonder if I were to just ignore the tournament, can our days continue like this then? No. I have to go. I have to get stronger and win the entire thing. Otherwise there's no future for me. Of course, that's how I see it as. It would be nice though.

_I awake. I was brought back to the same place. I look around. I saw the red speck. It was very close to me now. However, the pain was not there. It disappeared. Behind the red speck came out a white speck. It was shining brilliantly. Was that the same white speck I saw a while back? It seemed that the white speck was hurting the red speck. No, it was actually just getting rid of it The white speck went to me. It was very warm. So warm. It felt amazing. The white speck backed off a little. It froze in place and it seemed that the white speck wanted me to follow, so I did. We walked together south of where we were. We walked for a few hours once again, or at least that's how it felt. The white speck stopped moving all of a sudden. It moved closer to me. As it moved closer, I started to feel drowsy. I was slowing down. I was slowly falling. Softly laying down on my back. I feel my eyelids closing. This warm was comforting._


End file.
